
o^f^-^^ 



L I P^ E 



AND 



A D V E N TU RES 



COL. L. A. NORTON 



WRITTEN BV HIiVlSEI.K. 




OAKLAND, CAL., 

PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING HOUSK 

1887. 






Entered According to Act of Congress, in the Year 1887, 

({((g By L. a. NORTON, 

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 



6 d 

THE PACIFIC PRESS, 
Printers, Electrotypers, and Binders 
Oakland and San Francisco. 
f _.„ ? 



AUTHOR'S PREFACE 



) J ^^N unveiling my life to the public gaze, I am not actuated 
KOJ^k by any eulogistic or mercenary motives. Nor do I 
WiTnt think that the life of any man in the ordinary walks 
of life is going to electrify the world, or even be extensively 
circulated or generally read, in this day and age when so many 
are rushing into print. And as evidence that this sentiment 
is honest, the small edition of one thousand copies is sufficient. 
Notwithstanding this declaration, I imagine I have a history, 
and in many respects a remarkable one; and that it is fraught 
with interest which will repay the reader for his labor, and more 
especially the young American who is so unfortunate as to be 
turned out on the world without a penny or influential friends 
to aid him. It will at least show him what one waif, cast out 
upon the stormy billows of life, has accomplished; or, in other 
words, what a determined spirit, possessed of energy and per- 
severance, may accomplish. But my principal object in writ- 
ing these sketches is to leave my record with my children and 
friends. And I will further say that I have long hesitated be- 
fore publishing, and it is now with a feeling of great diffidence 
that I permit the work to go to press. Not that I fear that 
it does not possess interest sufficient to warriint its reading, 
but from the extent and strangeness of many incidents that 
it contains. 



Author's Preface. 



But facts are stranger than fiction, and there are so many 
living witnesses to the most remarkable scenes and events here 
narrated that I take courage, although I have omitted many 
things that have occurred, and sights which I have seen, be- 
cause I felt that they would not be credited. For instance, in 
writing up my memoirs, in one place I had stated that, at the 
ancient city of Pueblo Viejo, Lieutenant Conkling and myself 
lay beneath the shade of a castor-bean tree which was more than 
thirty feet in height, and more than eighteen inches at the butt, 
and which was undoubtedly more than thirty years old. A 
friend at my elbow said, "Norton, strike it out; I know that 
your statement is true, but you cannot make the Northern 
world believe it." I struck it out, and yet when any of my 
readers go to Los Angeles, if they will go down in the old 
Spanish portion of the town they will find a castor-bean root 
with four branches coming from it, either of which is over six 
inches through; and any one who will go to Anaheim, Los 
Angeles County, and travel a mile northeast from that place, 
can credit my cactus story. 

But enough of this; no man should apologize for telling the 
truth; for ''he who most investigates will most believe." 
Read my whole volume, skeptic, then reply. I have often 
heard it remarked that the preface to a book is seldom read, 
iience I refer the reader to the contents of the work. 

L. A. Norton. 



CONTENTS 

— -j^i^- — 



Page. 



CHAPTER I —History of the Norton Family— Parentage and 
Birth of the Subject of This Vohime -Leaving Home at the 

Age of Eleven Years— Journey to Upper Canada . . 9 

CHAPTER n —Life Affected by Circumstances in Youth— A Night 

of Fearful Suspense in a Strange Hotel-A Lucky Escape. ... H 
CHAPTER HL— A Perilous Voyage— Working Passage towaid 

Home on a Lake Ontario Schooner— Arrival Home. 21 

(TlAl'TER IV —A Terrible Storm at Buffalo— Recovermg a 

Longabsent Brother-A Terrible Night in a Canadian Forest.. 25 
CHAPTER V.-The Canadian Rebellion of 1837-38-Enlistment 
in the Spartan Rangers-The First Skirmish-The Force De- 

serted by the Commander— Attempt to Reach Home .?i 

CHAPTER VL— A Prisoner of War— Assisting Others to Escape— 

Held without Bail, on Various Charges 30 

CHAPTER VH.— Thrilling Incidents of Prison Life— Hard Fare 

—A Postal Arrangement— A Free Fight 42 

CHAPTER VIII.— Fruitless Efforts to Escape- Bribing a Sentinel 
-A Female Spy-The Populace of London Frightened by 

Harmless Indians ' * ' 

CHAPTER IX — From Prison to Hospital— The Uevil Cheated— 

Final Release on a Sentence of "Voluntary Banishment - ^^ 

A Ninety-mile Tramp • • • 

CHAPTER X.-Experiences in Michigan and Illinois-Medicinal 
Discovery— Attempt to Inaugurate an Invasion ol Canada 
Frustrated by the U. S. Marshal- Narrow Escape trom a ^^ 

Flood— Marriage 

CHAPTER XL— Memoirs of the Mexican War— Raising a Com- 

' pany in Kane County, Illinois-Arrival at Carlton, Louisiana 

-Down with the Measles-Arrival at Tamptco, Mexico-The 

- Green Sucker " Who Called at the British Consulate for Beer 

— " Pat's " First Duty on Guard— The Girl Recruit. . /» 

CHAPTER XIL— The Mexican War, Continued— The Denizens of 

the Chaparral-Expedition up the Panuco and Tamosee Livers S9 
CHAPTER XIII. —The Mexican War, Continued— A Daring Ex- 
ploit at RanchoRatonus-PuebloViejo-A Great Festival... 104 



vi Contents. 



CHAPTER XIV.— The Mexican War, Continued— An Exciting 
Cock-fight — Trial of an Irish Soldier for Killing a Mexican — 
Disobedience of Orders — Expedition to the Sierra MadrtJ 
Country — Ruins of an Ancient City 117 

CHAPTER XV.— The Mexican War, Continued— The Story of a 

Tiger — A Weary Tramp on Top of the Chaparral 138 

CHAPTER XVI.— The Mexican War, Continued -Winter Quarters 
— sf^xpedition to Tampico el Alto — Capturing the Town with 
Twenty Men — Reprimanded by General Gates 144 

CHAPTER XVII.— The Mexican War, Continued— Colonel Walker, 
the Texan Ranger — Eall uf the National Bridge— -Battle of 
Cerro Gordo — Perote Mountain 153 

CHAPTER XVIII.— The Mexican War, Continued — From Hua- 
mantla to the City of Mexico — Observations in the City — Con- 
vent of San Domingo — Hand-to-hand Conflict with a Lancer 
Chief 172 

Chapter XIX. — The Mexican War, Continued — A Mysterious 
Lady — Removal to Puebla — Return to Mexico — Narrow Escape 
on the Battle-field of Contreras — Avenging an Outrage l)y 
Guerrillas 180 

CHAPTER XX.— The Mexican War, Continued— The City of Puebla 
— Riding Out for Adventure — The Mexican Rheumatism — The 
City of Cholula — Unexpectedly Meeting a Brother . 191 

CH A1*TER XXI. — The Mexican War, Continued — Senor Queretaro's 

Family — Another Interesting Female 202 

CHAPTER XXII.— The Mexican War, Continued — Another Visit 
to Cholula and Its Great Pyramid — Frustrating a Criminal Plot 
among U. S. Officers 207 

CHAPTER XXIII.— The Mexican War, Continued— Capturing a 
Guerrilla Rendezvous — Preparations to Evacuate Mexican Ter- 
ritory — Threefold Duties and Their Perplexities 216 

CHAPTER XXIV. — The Mexican War, Continued — Superseding 
the Quartermastei-Cieneral — Arrival at New Orleans — General 
Jollification--Sharpers "Bucked and Gagged" — Voyage up 
the Mississippi and Trouble with the Steamboat Captain — Re- 
ception at Home — Letter from Colonel Hicks 227 

CHAPTER XXV.— Subduing a Noted " Bully. " 237 

CHAPTER XXVI. — The Restoration of a Stolen Corpse — Studying 

Law— Dispelling a Mob ... 242 

CHAPTER XXVII. — Departure for California — Fruitless Attempts 

at Detention 248 

CHAPTER XXVIIL— The Journey as Far as Carson Valley— Ad- 
venture at the Missouri River — The Indians on the Plains De- 
mand Toll 2 152 

CHAPTER XXIX— Relief Train from California^Military Men and 
the Regulation Ration — A Fright While on Guard — Crossing 
the Mountains 257 



Contents. vii 



CIIAPTKR XXX. — Initiated as a Mountaineer A Lonely Journey 

Across the Sierras 263 

CHAPTKR XXX I. -Another Trip from Carson to Placerville— 

Forcing a Toll-bridge 270 

CIIAPTER XXXII. --Exper ence as a Miner — Supporting a Sick 
Crowd through the Winter — A Muscular Contest Over a Claim 
— Resuming the Law 274 

CHAPTER XXXIII. —Lawyer and Merchant— " Uncle Pilly's" 

Larceny 279 

CFLAPTER XXXIV. — An Exciting Horse-stealing Case — Some Pe- 
culiarities of " Early Days " Practice 285 

CHAPTER XXXV. — Opposition to I>ynch Law — Formation of So- 
ciety — Outgeneraling a Mob — The End of the " Hangtown 
Oak." 291 

CHAPTER XXXVI.— A Mysterious Rol)l)ery, and the Robber's Con- 
fession 294 

CHAPTER XXXVII. — Placerville (uiards— The County Seat (Ques- 
tion . . ; 303 

CHAPTER XXXVIII. —A Trip to Monterey County— San Luis 

Rancho — Shaved by a Blacksmith 312 

CHAPTER XXXIX. — District Attorney in Western Utah — In Camp 
with the Mormons — Cheating the Fleas — Letters from VAdci 
Orson Hyde 321 

CHAPTER XL. --Fire in Placerville — Removal to Ilcaldsburg — The 

Sciuatter War ^}^ 

CHAPTER XLL — The Squatter War, Continued 342 

C HAPTER XLIL— The Squatter War, Continued. : 350 

CHAPTER XLIII. — Election as Colonel of an Illinois Regiment — 

A Steamboat Wheel 357 

CTIAl'TER XLIV. A Visit to the East— The Departure— "Two 
Ladies Leff" — Arrival at St. Charles, Illint)is — Not Recog- 
nized by Old Accjuaintances — Chicago — Detroit On to Lon- 
don, Canada 361 

CHAPTER XLV.— Visit to the East, Continued —Old-time Haunts 
in Canada — Only One Norton Left — On to Ogdensburg, New 
York — To Norton Creek, in Lower Canada — Childliood's 
Landmarks all Obliterated 369 

ITIAPTER XLV I.— Visit to the East, Continued— Montreal — Notre 

Dame — Victoria Bridge 380 

C HAPTER XLVIL— Visit to the East, Continued— Vermont and 

New Hampshire — I'oston — Albany — The Hudson..., 383 

CHAPTER XLVIIL— Visit to the East, Continued- New York- 
Invulnerable to the Arts of New York Sharpers — Various 
Attractions 39c 

CHAPTER XLIX.- Visit to the East, Continued— Philadelphia^ 

Baltimore — Washington — Mount Vernon 400 



viii Contents. 

CHAPTER L. — Visit to the East, Continued — " On to Richmond " 
— The City'? Prospects — Evidences of the Civil War Obliter 
ated, but Relics of the Revolution Carefully Preserved — Con- 
dition of the Negroes 411 

CHAPTER LI. — Visit to the East, Continued— Homeward Bound 
—Three Winters in One Year — The Californian's Pride in 
Presenting His State to Fellow-passengers 418 

CHAPTER LH. — My California Home— The Attractions in and 

around Healdsburg 423 

CHAPTER LHI.— Return to Business— Over a Thirty-foot Preci- 
pice with a Team and Three Fellow-passengers — A Desperate 
Attempt at Assa'^sination — Death of Mrs. Norton, and Sub- 
sequent Marriage 428 

CHAPTER LIV.— Political— Letter to Hon. John Bush, of Placer- 

ville 434 

CHAPTER LV. — Complimentary — Letter from Gen. R. Patterson, 

U. S. A 439 

CHAPTER LVL— A Sea Voyage to Santa Barbara— An Enchant- 
ing Sunset — A Tour around the Valley, and Description of 
Prominent Places 442 

To Miss Minnie Molloy, Santa Rosa, Cal 449 

To My Wife 45° 

To Mary 450 

Respectfully Addressed to One of the American Officers in Mexico. . 452 

To My Truest and Best Friend 454 

To A. C. Barry, Esq 454 

Black Eyes 455 

To the One for Whom It Was Intended 456 

Lines to Mrs. Elizabeth Hall 457 

Midnight and the Grave 459 

Lines Regarding a Flower Kept Ten Years 459 

The Sylphide 462 

Ode to the Rt. Rev. J K. Barry 463 

Montega's Adieu to the Fox 464 

Lines 465 

On Slander 466 

Lines Respectfully Addressed to 467 

The Will of Leonatus 469 

Written on the Summit of Fitch Mountain, While Silting on an Ant- 
hill 470 

A Dream » 47 1 

A Dialogue between the Head and Heart, as to Which Had the 

Stronger Claim upon the Soul 476 

Lines 48 1 

' The Rio Grande Shore 482 

The Patriot's Dream 484 



The Life and Adventures of 

Coiv. L. A. Norton 



CHAPTER I. 

HISTORY OF THE NORTON FAMILY. 

THE history of the Nortons, of which I am about to 
write, antedates the Revolutionary War, how lon^^, 
I do not know, but the traditions of our branch of the 
family commence with a sea captain, an Englishman, who 
owned and sailed his ship. This man had two sons, both 
of whom he settled in America, one in what is now the 
State of Connecticut, and one in Virginia. As to the 
Virginia stock, I know nothing about it; as to the Con- 
necticut settler, tradition follows back six generations, 
commencing with Eleazer, and passing down successively 
with John, Mirum, Daniel, Lewis, and Lewis Adelbert — 
the subject of this sketch. 

Daniel Norton, my grandfather, at an early day moved 
from some of the Eastern States back into Lower Can- 
ada, near the line of New York State, in the town shire 
of Hemmingford, upon a stream called Norton Creek, 
named after him. The country was very heavily timbered 
and sparsely settled. At the time of which I write, he 
had made considerable improvements in clearing, fenc- 



10 \Ai'E AND Adventures of 



Jul; laiui. etc. The American Revolutionary War was 
then rai;ing-. I\Ty grandfather's neii;hbors were princi- 
pally Tories, while his sympathies were with the Whigs, 
althoLiL^h up to this time he had taken no part in the 
struo'i^le. He was buildin,!:^- a barn, and was on the roof 
shingiini; when a lot of men passed (eii;ht in number, I 
believe) wlu^ had been to a K\L;-L;ino- bee, and some of them 
were a little the worse for licjuor. One of them said, 
" Let us drive that old Whi^- off from the barn," and 
the\^ ordered him {o come d(.n\n. lie paid no attention 
to them, whereupon the\' commenced throwing- stones at 
him. rresentl)' one oi' the stones struck him, hurting him 
prett\- b;ull\-. Being a \er\' j>assionate man. he rushed 
down from the barn roof, with his hammer in his hand, 
when he was met b\' the crowd. Their leader attempted 
to strike m\' grantlfather, who dodged the blow and 
struck his antagonist on the head with his hammer, and, 
unfortunatel}', killed him, having b\' chance hit him on 
the temple. 0( course he was then compelled to surren- 
der himself to the authorities, who, after an examination, 
discharged him from cusIolI)'. lUit he could not continue 
to resitle among the Tories after that, so he removed 
across the line and settlcil in New 1 lampshire, and after- 
ward to Connecticut, where m\- father was born. 

After the close o( the War of the Rexolution, how- 
e\er, he renuned back to Lower Canada, and again set- 
tled on his oKl farm in 1 lemmingford, and remained there 
until i8o8or 1809, when he emigrated to Upper Canada 
and located, with the younger portion of his family, in 
London, a district town o\ Westminster. At this place 
he remained up to his death. 

In the meantime ni}- father, Lewis Norton, had married 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 11 

Elizabeth Burhart, who was of German extraction, hav- 
inq,- been born and raised in' Pennsylvania. On their 
marriage they settled in the State of New York, near 
Chautauqua, close to the Canada line, where they re- 
mained until the war of 1812. When the British had 
massacred the inhabitants of Black Rock and Buffalo, the 
New York militia was called out, my father among others. 
At this time he removed his wife and three children to 
the village of Batavia, Genesee County, New York. 
He was engaged in the affiiir of the destruction of Black 
Rock, and also at the burning of Buffalo. When the 
enemy's forces were at last driven out, they were con- 
centrated against the garrison of Fort Erie, which was on 
the Canadian side of the Niagara River and occupied by 
the Americans. A call was now issued to the New 
York militia for recruits to join the regular force for the 
defense of Fort lu-ie. My father volunteered, and in 
the three days' fight before Fort Erie, at a sortie, 
he, and about three hundred others were made prison- 
ers, having been cut o{{ from the main force. My father, 
when taken, had Thos. C. Love on his back, wounded. 
Love at this time was a young lawyer. Being wounded, 
he was exchanged. He afterwards rose to eminence, 
and was for many years on the bench as judge. He 
died some years since, at or near Williamsville, New 
York. My father was sent to Halifax, where he was 
kept a prisoner till the close of the war. 

Soon after the war, m}' grandfather gave mv father 
the old homestead in Hemmingford, the buildings and 
other improvements having been destroyed during the 
war. My father returned to Chautauqua, Franklin 
County, New York, in 1818, where he resided at my 



12 Ltfj<: and Advkntures of 

birth, in 1819, after which he returned to Canada, and 
settled ai^ain on Norton Creek, about twelve miles below 
the old homestead, on what was called the Domain, 
where he resided till I was eight years old. I was the 
fifth child of a family of nine. This being- a cold, rocky, 
and barren region, my parents moved back to FrankHn 
County, New York, where I remained till I was eleven 
years old. 

As my parents were poor ixud had a large family, 1 was 
determined to look out for myself. Karly on the second 
day of May, 1839, I tied my worldly possessions in a 
pocket handkerchief, strung it over my shoulder, and, like 
a young cpj.ail with a shell on its back, I left the nest 
with twenty-five cents in my pocket, and "dug out" on 
foot. The second day I arrived at the Read Mill, St. 
Lawrence County, New York, where I hired to a man by 
the name of Tibbits, at four dollars per month, and I 
worked four months. At the end of that time I again 
shouldered my pack, with my sixteen dollars, and went 
to Ogdensburg, where I crossed the St. Lawrence River 
and took a Canadian steamer to Queenstown, en route 
to Upper Canada, now known as Canada West, where I 
had uncles residing. I then walked to Niagara Falls,and, 
after visiting the Falls, went up the Niagara River and 
crossed to Black Rock, thence to l^>uffalo, and, after a 
couple of days at Buffalo, 1 f(.)und a schooner going up 
Lake Erie and soon made arrangements to work my 
passage on board of it up the lake. 

It was claimed that the vessel was loaded with brick; I 
have since been of the opinion that it was a smuggler. 
On our way up we encountered a heavy gale, but at 
length we landed in the woods at an anchorage they 



Colonel L. A. Norton. IS 

called Nanticokc. 1 went on shore in the schooner's boat, 
and a<^ain, with my pack on my back, I threaded the Can- 
ada shore of Lake Erie for several miles throuf^h the 
woods before I came to any settlement; but at len<;th> 
after a day's hard travelinij, I reached Long Point, 
where the farmers were not yet through their harvest. 
Hands were scarce, and I soon contracted for fifty cents 
per day (half a man's wages), I worked twenty days 
and got ten dollars, and again pursued my journey. 

I had been told that I would have to go by the way 
of Cettle Creek, and when I had journeyed about half a 
day, I commenced making inquiries for Pot Creek; but 
I was made all right on that point by a party informing 
me that it was Cettle, not Pot, Creek that I wanted. 
In due time I reached my uncles in Westminster, and 
found them to be close-fisted, thriving farmers. I was 
well received and went to work for one of my uncles; no 
wages was named. I worked for him four months, for 
which he gave me a pair of shcep's-gray pants and 
made all square by so doing. 

I will here take occasion to say that, during all my 
perambulations, I never lost an opportunity to learn 
to read and write. On leaving my uncle's I went to 
I>ondon Gove, where I made arrangements with an old 
Dutchman to do chores night and morning and go to 
school. Here I got three months' schooling, and, being 
quick to learn and having a retentive memory, I advanced 
with my reading, writing, and spelling very fast. As 
spring approached I hired to a man by the name of Per- 
kins, for six months at six dollars per month. P>om 
him I got only a small portion of my wages, and that in 
store pay. I continued to work that summer and the 



14 Life and Adventures of 

winter following. Having clothed myself and having 
some money in my pocket to pay expenses, I went to 
Oxford Center, where I expected to meet my brother; 
but not finding him, I hired out to one John Falin, a 
h )tel keeper, for ten dollars for a month's work, when I 
fully resolved to return to Chautauqua and try to induce 
the family to move to Upper Canada. 



CHAPTER II. 

LIFE AFFECTED BV CIRCUMSTANCES IN YOUTH. 

1HAVE come to the conclusion that there are circum- 
stances in early life which color our future existence 
and stick to us like the shirt of Nessus until the day of 
our death. About the year 1832, when a mere youth, I 
found myself, after eighteen months' rambling over the 
wilds of Canada, some seven or eight hundred miles from 
home. The country, at that time, was sparsely settled. 
Travel was almost entirely local, farmers traversing the 
country with ox-carts or wagons, from their homes to 
the small market towns. Mails, in most instances, were 
carried on horseback, with once in 'awhile, on the mcr : 
frequented thoroughfares, a stage-coach. But if a man 
wished to make a journey of any distance, it was gener- 
ally performed on foot. 

For the year past I had been working by the month, 
at eight dollars per month, and at the end of that time 
found myself in possession of what then seemed to me 
to be all the wealth I needed. I accordingly resolved 
to visit my home in Lower Canada, near Montreal. I 
therefore invested about twenty dollars in a nice suit of 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 15 

moleskin, pocketed my wealth, and about the eighth day 
of June, 1834, with my httle bundle (change of clothes), 
left John Falin's hotel, town of Oxford, London District, 
Canada West, for Hamilton, where I expected to take 
water conveyance, going down the lakes and St. Law- 
rence River. Of course I was on foot. At nightfall I 
arrived at the town of Paris, on the Grand River. 

Paris was then a small town, on the west bank of that 
stream. The town was mostly composed of wooden 
buildings, but as I entered the place, somewhat remote 
from other buildings, I noticed quite a large stone struct- 
ure, upon one side of \\ hich I saw a large bonnet pict- 
ured. In fact it was the picture of the bonnet that 
particularly attracted my attention to the house. I 
passed it and continued my tramp down a slope to near 
the river, where I found a hotel, the '■' Travelers' Home." 
I entered the house, and deposited the bundle with the 
landlady, who seemed to be the "man of the house." 
She was, I should suppose from her appearance, about 
forty years old, short and florid, with a light complexion, 
and an immense amount of carrot-coloreJ hair, that 
looked as though it and a comb had been strangers for 
months. I judged her complexion more from the color 
of her hair than from the color of her face, as that was 
extremely streaked. 

In receiving my pay from F'alin, I had got a London 
one-pound note, and, boy like, rather to make a show 
than through fear that the bank would break before 
morning, I called for a glass of beer and got my note 
changed into silver, when I soon noticed that this action 
caused the garrulous woman to commence plying me 
with questions regarding my trip, and where I was going. 



10 Like and Adventures of 

Lower Caticula was a long distance — over seven hundred 
miles. "You must," said she, "have plenty of money 
to take you that distance; where do you get your money 
to travel with ? " etc. To all of which I replied that I 
supposed I had sufficient money for my journey; that 
I worked for some of it, and some my father gave 
me to travel with. During supper-time and all the even- 
ing the burden of her theme was on my money, which 
made me feel rather uncomfortable. I gave her but 
little further satisfaction on that point, but finally told 
her that I was tired and would like to go to bed. 

She called on a couple of men, I think she called them 
James and John, and told them to "take that boy to bed." 
It struck me as strange. I took a glance at the two 
worthies and found them, in appearance, a couple of as 
well-defined cut-throats as it was ever my misfortune to 
have seen (in fact they were all foreigners, Irish or Scotch, 
I should think). The men lit a lantern and told me to 
come with them. I began to be frightened and rather 
hesitated; but one of them casually observed that they 
had lately moved there and their beds were not yet re- 
moved to that house, when I reluctantly followQd them- 
We proceeded along the road by which I had entered 
the town, to the large stone structure with the big bon- 
net p linted on the outer wall, heretofore mentioned, 
which we entered. 

The first room seemed to have been used as a bar- 
room, although at the time it was wholly divested of 
furniture. We crossed the room to a landing. ,A door 
opened to the left of the landing, which revealed a large 
room which seemed to have been used as a dining-room; 
that was also unfurnished. We stepped upon the land- 



CoLoNKL t.. A. Norton. 17 

ing and commenced ascending" spiral stairs, passed two 
landings, and ascended to the third story of the building; 
all the lower part of the house seemed unoccupied. 
After making our final landing we passed through a 
hall, at the end of which they showed me my room. 
A half dozen times I was on the point of turning back, 
telling them I would go no farther, but diffidence and 
shame prevented me. Well, I entered my bedroom, 
which was on the south side of the building. They 
gave me a piece of candle which they made stand up by 
melting some tallow on the window-sill, and sticking the 
unlit end of the candle into it; then left me alone in my 
glory. 

The two worthies retired to an adjoining room, which 
had a board partition between them and myself I 
pulled off my boots, took up the candle, and first 
examined the door to see if it could be fastened, but 
found nothing but a common latch on it. Having heard 
of dead-falls and trap-doors, I next commenced an ex- 
amination of the room, but found nothing unusual in 
the floor. I next investigated my bed, to see if it stood on 
a trap, but nothing suspicious presented itself. I then 
took a peep from my lofty roost out of the window, but 
it was far down to the hard street, and a leap from there 
would be attended with sure death. I then returned to 
my bed and examined it to see if the bedstead contained 
a cord. I found it did. Then my next thought was to 
take it out and place the bedstead by the window, and 
tie the cord to it to aid my flight, if necessary; but 
pride and shame again carried the sway, and I resolved 
to go to bed and await results. 

I had not so much as a penknife in case of necessity; 



18 Life and Adventures of 

so I placed my boots at the head of the bed as my only 
weapons. My bed consisted of a straw tick, two blan- 
kets, and two pillows. I divested myself of coat and 
vest and turned in with pants and socks on. I put b:)th 
pillows under my head, so I should be able to careful fy 
watch every movement. - There was a full moon shining 
obliquely through my window, so when the candle was 
extinguished it was not dark in the room; and there was 
a small crack in the board partition separating me from 
the room where the two roughs were sleeping, and through 
that I could discover that their light had not been ex- 
tinguished. This continued to burn until eleven or 
twelve o'clock, when it was extingin'shed. That circum- 
stance allayed my fears a little, but yet I dared not go to 
sleep. I had a vague feeling of danger, for everything 
to me seemed suspicious. Many limes I started, think- 
ing that I heard light footfalls in different directions. 
Kn(^wing that all my senses were wrought to th:^ high- 
est pitch, I would attribute it to imagination, which was 
probably correct. 

So time passed on until nearly two o'clock, when I 
heard some person ascending the stairs. The step came 
up — up — up. I lay intently listening, most devoutly 
hoping that it would stop short of my room; but such 
was not the case. On came the light tread, until my 
door was quietly pushed open and a man entered the 
room with a bull's-eye lantern in his hand. He was a 
man of about thirty years of age, well dressed in a busi- 
ness suit, and had nothing of the villainous appear- 
ance of the other two He stopped at the door and 
turned his lantern until he threw the light full uporf me. 
He stood and looked steadily at me for a time that 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 19 

seemed to me ten minutes, but it was probably not 
more than two, during which time I had laid perfectly 
still, with my eyes apparently closed in sleep; but, in 
fact, the lids were sufficiently open to allow me to wat^h 
him closely. I came to the conclusion that it would not 
do to feign sleep; consequently, all of a sudden, I arose 
to a sitting position, thrust my right hand beneath the 
pillows, and, with all the firmness that I could command, 
by voice, look, and gesture, I demanded: " What do you 
want, sir?" The party replied: "Oh, nothing. I did 
not know how you were resting, and I thought I would 
step in and see. Shall I not come and fix your pillows 
under your head ? " I replied that my head was all 
right; that I was very tired and wished not to be dis- 
turbed. He replied: "I shall not disturb you," and 
turned and left my room. 

But I could tell, first by the step and then by the light 
that penetrated to my room through the crevices hereto- 
fore mentioned, that he had entered the room of my two 
first-named companions. He remained there some little 
time, when I heard him descending the stairs, but could 
see that a light had been left burning in their room, 
which to me, in my affrighted state, was no g od omen. 
While I lay considering what to do, the downward step 
seemed to stop at the second landing, and apparently 
entered a room; and presently, from the same direction, 
I heard a kind of ticking sound which I could not de- 
scribe until many years after, when I heard it repeated 
by water dropping on an uncarpeted floor from a table. 

I now formed a resolution to attempt my escape from 
the den. I think the light 1 :ft burning in the room 
where the two men were had much to do with my de- 



so Life and Adventurers of" 

termination. I stepped quietly out of bed, put on my 
coat, vest, and hat, took my boots in my hand and moved 
towards the door, the room being quite light, as the full 
moon shone straight into the window. And here was 
something that I have never been able to account for. 
As I approached the door I noticed it was ajar, in fact, 
open about four inches. I carefully pushed it open and 
saw something black beyond, coming clear unto the 
threshold. I put out my foot and found it was a hole in 
the floor! The thought flashed across me that I assur- 
edly came through a hall before coming into the room. 
But I seated myself on the door-sill and felt around with 
my feet for the stairs; but there were none, and this fact 
further incr-eased my terror. I thought I was fastened 
in; but, to my relief, on further examination, I found the 
door through which I had entered, shutting on the same 
jamb, and swinging the other way, closed, but not fast- 
ened. I left the room, passed noiselessly through the 
hall and down the stairs through the old bar-room. I 
found the outer door locked, but the key was in the door. 
I soon passed out, slamming the door behind me. Then 
I did some good, lively running for about a block, when 
I sat down, pulled on my boots, and made for the hotel.' 
No one can tell the joy I felt at my escape. I went and 
rapped at the hotel door. The landlord, whom I had 
not seen before, got up, let me in, and asked me what I 
wanted. I told him I wanted to pay my bill and be go- 
ing"; that I heard the blacksmiths at work and thought 
it was time forme to be traveling. He remarked that it 
was only between two and three o'clock, and that the 
ferryman would not be out for some time, and that I had 
better take a rug and lie down by the fire, and he would 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 21 

call me when it was time to go. I did so, and was soon 
asleep. He aroused me all too soon, and informed me 
that I would find my bundle in the store, or baggage- 
room. 

I found my bundle, as per directions, apparently all 
right, excepting that a woman's stocking was protruding 
from it. I pulled it out, threw it on the floor, and bade 
good-by to the "Travelers' Home." I asked the ferry- 
man what kind of a house they kept at the "Travelers' 
Home," and he said it had a bad reputation. I then 
told him my story. He simply remarked that he 
thought me in luck to get away as well as I did. I gave 
him the facts just as they occurred, without comment. 
Whether any reasonable explanation could be given to 
the appearance of things and the conduct of the parties, 
I do not know; but there is one thing I do know, and 
that is, that from the effects of that night's scare, no 
person can enter my room, even in his stocking feet, 
without awaking me. 



CHAPTER III. 

A PERILOUS VOYAGE AND ARRIVAL HOME. 

ON leaving the ferry. I trudged along until I arrived 
at Hamilton, where I soon made arrangements with 
the captain of a schooner to work my passage (as cook) 
down to Prescott. I went down in the forecastle, where 
the mate was shaking with the ague, and pulling off my 
coat (which contained my money in a side pocket) some 
change rolled out as I threw it upon a coil of ropes. I 
replaced it and went to work, helping about loading the 



22 Life ano Adventures of 

vessel, when in the course of two or three hours the 
mate asked the captain's permission to go up town and 
get some medicine for his ague. The captain remarked 
that he had better send the little cook, as he could not be 
of so much use on the vessel. I saw that he seemed loth 
to let n^ego, but after a little hesitation he handed me my 
directions, with the money. I at once recognized the 
stamped fifty-cent piece as being of my money, and as 
soon as I got away from the vessel I looked for the re- 
mainder, but not one cent was left. I got the medicine 
and returned with it, and in the presence of the mate 
went to the coil of rope and commenced looking for my 
money (knowing well that it was not there), when the 
mate, in a savage manner wanted to know what I was 
doing there. I told him that I was looking for my 
money. He cursed me, and told me that if I went ran- 
sacking around there he would break my little neck. I 
picked up ten cents that had escaped the fate of the 
rest, and went to the captain with my complaint. He 
said he could do nothing, and asked me good-naturedly 
if I did not know that all sailors would steal. We left 
the little bay at Hamilton on May 12, 1832. The wind 
was blowing very hard and the captain was advised not 
to venture from the harbor, but he was an old "salty," 
very headstrong, and sometimes reckless withal, and 
when we got fairly out on Lake Ontario it was blowing 
a terrific gale, which constantly increased. As soon as 
we got fairly out they began to shorten sail; but the 
wind continued to blow at a fearful rate. Some of 
the halyards got foul (I think that was what they called 
it), and before they could relieve the foremast she went 
by the board, and that smashed the bulwark. Cutting 
the lines and shrouds, they let the mast go. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 23 

There were two " fresh water " sailors on board, who 
soon gave up and went below, and no threats or persua- 
sions could get them upon deck. Night came on and 
we were running under the bare poles without a rag of 
canvas. Every man ha 1 a line around his middle and 
fastened to the mainmast. The sea was constantly 
breaking over. We had a deck load of flour, but the 
waves had carried away our bulwark 'midship, together 
with the deck loading; also my galley and stove. At 
about ten o'clock at night I went to my berth, my hands 
having been all blistered and the blisters worn off to the 
bare meat. I could not sleep, and it was with difficulty 
that I could keep myself in the berth; the wind had not 
abated its fury in the least. The captain was swearing 
because he had not sea-room. He and the mate and 
one sailor did all that men could dare and suffer; but 
about noon the second day the wind howled so that we 
could neither hear nor see anything save snow and sleet 
everywhere. • Ropes and shrouds were covered with ice, 
and the captain exclaimed, " D — n her, she will go to 
the bottom." 

I had attempted to set tlie table once, but it was no 
go; the cloth would slide from the table, and about this 
time the blind light in the s^.ern was burst in, and the 
lockers were all drenched, the water being knee deep in 
the cabin. They got planks and spikes and temporarily 
stopped the water from coming in behind; but there was 
one thing that they protected, that was one jug of spirits. 
They had that lashed to a berth and made frequent 
visits to it. When the captain said the vessel would go 
to the bottom, they put her square before the wind and 
let hjr take iicr cliances. They dare not attempt to 



24 Life and Adventures of 

make any port, but just at dark that night we reached 
the St. Lawrence River and got protection of the Thou- 
sand Islands. That storm the 12th, 13th, and 14th of 
May, 1832, will long be remembered. The corn was 
well up and some of the grain was headed out. The 
extreme cold froze the corn, injured the oats and barley, 
killed the leaves on the beech trees, and in some portions 
of the State of New York the snow fell to the depth of 
eight inches, which must still be remembered by the old 
men of that day. 

We dropped down the St. Lawrence, and the next 
morning we lay off Prescott. They hitched lines to the 
anchor, and we were compelled to pull the schooner 
asfiore by the line (they called it working it in). When 
we had landed I got my breakfast — some " hard-tack" — 
on board, and invested my ten cents in a passage to 
Ogdensburg, and from there I soon made my way down 
to Tibbits' place, six miles. They were delighted to see 
me, and at once gave me work. I worked there until I 
had earned sufficient money to take me home, when I con- 
tinued my journey on foot to Norton Creek, where the 
family had removed. When I joined them, and as soo-n 
as we could make preparations so to do, we all returned to 
Upper Canada. For the next three years I worked by 
the month for the most of the time, doing a man's work 
and receiving from thirteen to fifteen dollars per month, 
after which I engaged with my oldest brother in a fishery 
business. On what is known as Catfish Creek, or rather 
its mouth where it empties into Lake Erie, we- ran one 
season and made several hundred dollars each. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 25 

CHAPTER IV. 

A TERRIBLE STORM, AND A NIGHT IN A FOREST. 

I HAD one brother who had left home at an early age, 
and from whom we had not heard for six or seven years. 
At length we received a letter from a lady in Buffalo, 
stating that my brother was seriously afflicted with the 
hip complaint and in indigent circumstances; that she 
had interested herself on his behalf until she could 
hear from his friends. The next day after receiving the 
letter, I was on my way to find my brother. That 
was in the latter part of October, 1837. I went to 
Buffalo, where I soon found him, and after compensating 
the lady for her trouble, I had him removed to a hotel 
until I could find some way of transporting him up the 
lake. Fin-ding a schooner that was going part way, and 
would land near the mouth of the Grand River, I de- 
termined to get my brother on board and take chances of 
getting him from there by land. His condition was such 
that he could only be moved on a bed or stretcher. 
Well, I got him on board in the forenoon, and we were to 
sail the next day. The schooner lay at the wharf in Buf- 
falo Creek; the weather for the time of year was calm 
and pleasant, a breeze being scarcely perceptible. The 
sky was clear, the sun shone brightly, and everything 
looked fair for a prosperous trip. But about two o'clock 
P. M. the water commenced rising in the creek, and a 
mighty tide seemed pouring in from Lake Erie; it soon 
crept up on Lighthouse Point, nearly covering the sea- 
wall, which at that time was but partially constructed, 
and the water in the creek raised until it was nearly up 
3 



26 Life and Adventures of 

to the top of the wharf. From the northwest the fleecy 
clouds could be seen coming up and skurrying along high 
in the heavens with the speed of a war-horse, accom- 
panied by a low, roaring, or moaning sound in the air. 

We had an experienced captain on our little craft, 
who seemed to comprehend what the signs of the times 
predicted. He ordered the moorings to be made more 
secure by stanchions, and as the water continued to rise 
he had several spars run down perpendicularly between 
the schooner and the wharf, and firmly lashed to the 
vessel above, so as, in case of emergency, to prevent 'its 
passing over the wharf; and this foresight saved us. 
Presently the wind came on in fitful gusts constantly 
increasing in frequency and violence; and ere the sun 
was below the horizon a thick gloom and darkness per- 
vaded everything, while a regular tornado was raging 
with such force that it was almost impossible for one to 
keep his feet even when supported by the stays of the 
vessel. The waves seemed to be lifted by the fury of 
the wind from the surface of the boiling flood and dashed 
in spray upon surrounding objects, while on the land, 
church towers and building roofs were whirled through the 
air like feathers. Ere darkness had closed in upon the 
•scene, Buffalo Point had entirely disappeared beneath the 
flood, and the waves of Lake Erie rushed in upon the city. 
The storm increased until midnight, carrying a general 
wreck and ruin with it, a perfect devastation marking its 
track. From Buffalo Point there were eleven residences 
washed out, and as the water commence^ receding, 
floated out of Buffalo Creek and down the Niagara Falls. 
In these houses alone it was estimated that over sixty 
persons perished. Eight or ten canal boats broke from 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 27 

their moorings and went out into the Niagara River, 
and thence over the falls. The next morning almost 
the entire shipping that lay in the creek at the com- 
mencement of the storm lay high and dry in the lower 
part of the city. One brig lay with its bowsprit sticking 
through an upper window of a two-story house — the bow 
resting against the house while the stern was on the 
ground. The entire lower part of the city was strewn 
with boxes, barrels, bales of goods, and furniture of 
every description; nuts and fruits were spread out in 
abundance, the water during the night having been 
from twelve to fifteen feet above its ordinary level. 
Tlianks to the foresight of our captain, the spars that 
were placed on our boat kept us on the right side of the 
wharf, and the next morning found us in deep water and 
all right. 

The storm began to lull about midnight and by morn- 
ing had entirely abated, and at noon the lake had rocked 
itself to sleep. There was just sufficient breeze to leave 
a smile on its silver lips. Nor woulci you have supposed 
that such a passion as had raged in its breast during the 
night could ever have so distorted its placid brow. But 
'tis ever thus. Deception is found everywhere, in nature 
as well as in art. And frequently that which we most 
admire is the first to wound. We loosed from our moor- 
ings, and, with a light breeze, made the best of our way 
for Port Dover, on the Canada shore, which place we 
reached the second day in the evening. 

I tried to hire a conveyance to take my brother home, 
a distance of about fifty miles by the lake shore, but 
over seventy- five miles by the main road. The roads 
were next to impassable for a team; the mud had frozen 



28 Life and Adventures of 

but not sufficien \y hard to form a firm crust. The 
horses would break through and cut their legs, and in 
places the wagon wheels would also break through. 
No one could be induced to turn out, for love or money. 
The consequence was I was compelled to go home, 
where friendship would insure what money could not 
buy. To follow the wagon road I would be compelled 
to go north to .Talbot Street, which would be at least 
twenty-five miles farther than to follow up the lake shore. 
Consequently I resolved to take it on foot up the lake 
shore, and, getting my brother settled, I "struck out." 

I got started about ten o'clock in the forenoon, travel- 
ing some of the way by trail and sometimes by wagon 
road, through a new and sparsely settled country of dense 
forests and small clearings: Along in the afternoon I 
fell in with an old pioneer of the country, who told me 
that I would arrive about night-fall at a certain small log- 
house, and that I must stay all night there, as that would 
be the last house and clearing for fourteen mJles, and 
that there was no road but a very faint trail, as during 
the summer there was a beach upon which all the travel 
was turned, but which, during the fall, was washed away. 
"But," I said, "perhaps he will not keep rqe." His 
reply was, " He must keep you, for you could not make 
it in the night. You would break your neck over a prec- 
ipice, if nothing else." I parted with the old man and 
continued my tramp, arriving at the log-hut, in a small 
clearing, just as the sun was setting. 

It was clear, cold, and frosty. I stepped to the door 
and asked the man for lodging for the night. He re- 
plied that he could not keep me. At that age I was 
very diffident. I was about turning from the door when 



CoT.ONET. L. A. Norton. 29 

my situation rushed vividly upon me, and I asked, 
"Could you not allow me to sleep on your floor?" 
He replied, " No, I have potatoes on the floor." I said, 
" I am told that it is fourteen miles through the forest, 
and no road, and such a cold night as this I may perish 
in the woods." He replied that he could not be ac- 
countable for that, but that he thought I could get 
through. I then asked him if he could not let me have 
a few matches. His reply was that he had no matches. 
So I turned into the woods on a dim trail; but as soon 
as I had got into the thick forest, and darkness set in, I 
lost the trail, and could only keep my direction by skirt- 
ing the lake shore when I could see openings through 
the trees. However, I soon found myself in windfalls, 
brush, and briers, the small brush constantly coming in 
contact with my face and eyes. My flesh and clothes 
were torn by brambles while clambering over logs, or 
feeling my way up and down precipitous gulches, aiding 
myself by clinging to brush and roots. 

As I had no means of making a fire, I dared not lie 
down to wait for morning, but pursued my toilsome 
march. Exhausted by fatigue and chilled by frost, I 
still traveled on until I came upon a stream about a 
hundred feet wide. This brought me to a stand. It was 
now, as near as I could judge, about midnight. I crept 
along up the stream in hopes of finding it narrow, and 
perchance a log upon which I could cross. But I could 
find nothing of the kind, and discovered that I must 
either wade or swim across. I got hold of a strong 
pole, and feeling the bottom with it, waded in. Fort- 
unately I did not have to swim, but found it in the deep- 
est place a little more than waist deep. 



30 T.IKE AND Am'KNTURlvS OK 

After reaching the opposite shore I cHmbed a pre- 
cipitous bank and continued my journey. I found the 
woods a little more open, and consequently fewer ob- 
structions. But now the wolves set up such a howl, as 
though ten thousand devils had broken loose. They 
seemed to be but a little distance from me. (These 
wolves are of the large gray kind, but they seldom 
attack a man, unless in depth of winter, when the snow 
is deep and they are nearly starved.) I continued to 
make my way as fast as the rough condition of the coun- 
try and my exhausted strength would permit, for about 
two hours, when I came to another stream similar to the 
one already described. I crossed it as before. There 
was a small open flat on the west side of the stream, 
and looking down towards the lake I saw a light. Oh, 
blessed sight! 

I made my way down to the lake, where I found that 
there was a narrow beach and some men fishing. They 
stared at me at first as though 1 were some apparition 
or goblin from the forest. Their conduct was so strange 
that I was really afraid of them. I merely asked them 
about what time of the night it was, and how far before 
I would come to a house. They informed me that it 
was about two miles to a house, and about two o'clock 
at night. I asked them if they would let me have a 
brand of fire, which they did. I went on about half a 
mile, kindled a fire, upon which I piled a lot of -drift- 
wood, and stretched myself alongside of it in the sand, 
and was soon asleep. I awoke about sunrise. My fire 
had burned down, and I found myself very cold. My 
clothes next to the fire were dry, but on the opposite 
side were frozen stiff I replenished my fire, thawed 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 31 

myself out, and pursued my journey; called at a farm- 
house, where I got some breakfast, and reached home 
before I slept. We started a team out the next morn- 
ing, and within four days my brother arrived home. 
For the first few weeks he seemed to improve, but his 
disease was of such a character that there was no chance 
for a recovery, and he lived but a few weeks. 



CHAPTER V. 

THE CANADIAN REBELLION OF 1(S37. 

BEFORE leaving home in search of my brother Clark, 
I had enrolled myself as a minute-man, to turn out 
with the Patriot forces; or, in other words, in the rebellion 
against the British Government. The arrest of Lount 
and Mathews at Toronto had forced the rebellion, and 
on the twelfth day of November, 1837, we were called 
out to form a company under Joshua Done, to be known 
as the " Spartan Rangers." We assembled at the village 
of Sparta, in the town of Yarmouth, where we organized, 
choosing Joshua Done as our captain, and at once com- 
menced our march for Otter Creek (a village of Rich- 
mond). Here we encamped for the night, and stationed 
our sentinels. Of course we were but crudely armed, 
our arms consisting of rifles, shot guns, old muskets and 
pistols, knives, swords, and dirks. We had no drill or 
discipline. We were perfectly raw, and I do not believe 
that there was a man in the entire company who even 
understood the manual of arms. Yet we were informed 
^hat we were marching out to meet an enemy drilled 



32 Life and Adventures of 

and disciplined. And 1 never shall forget what I suf- 
fered in mind, for twenty-four hours after my enlistment, 
for fear that I would be a coward, and would not be able 
to keep my legs from running away with me at the first 
fire, s 

News came in during the night that the enemy had 
rallied quite a force and were tearing up the bridge on 
Otter Creek, and intended to meet us there in the morn- 
ing. W'e sent out some scouts, however, and a guard to 
protect the bridge. The next morning we commenced 
our march, crossing the bridge without opposition, anci 
had marched a couple of miles beyond it when we were 
fired upon from ambush. A ball pretty well spent 
struck me in the muscles of the back, just grazing the 
spine. The enem\' had waited until wc had passed, be- 
fore firing. I forgot my wound, and, with the others, 
rushed into the woods pell-mell, firing at the twenty-five 
or thirt}' fellows who had ambushed us. 

When the skirmish was over 1 was the most delighted 
fellow you ever saw — m>' legs had not run away with 
me. Mv wound pro\ed not to be serious, and I con- 
tinued m}- march the entire da}-. At night we arrived 
at Norwich, where we met Doctor Duncombe and his 
forces, who informed us that they were retreating before 
a superior enemy, led by Sir Allen McNabe; that we 
would move on to Dorchester Pines, and would there 
make a stand, where the enem\- could not pla\' upon us 
with their artillery. We got some food, rested for an 
hour, and again took up our line of march. We went 
through the pines, and encamped for the balance ot the 
night at a little place called Sodom. 

The next morninij, when I awoke, our command had 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 33 



disappeared, and I found n\yseir comparatively alone. 
I saw some notices posted, which were to the effect that 
a superior force was upon us, too formidable for us to 
attempt to cope with, and advisinij every man to look- 
out for himself. There was a youni^- man by the name 
of IkMijamin T. Smith who was a great conn-ade o( 
mine. We met and consulted as to what was best to 
do. My wound had become swollen and (juite painful, 
as nothing- had been done by way of extracting the 
bullet from my back. But after moving around for a 
time the pain became somewhat allayed. At length 
Smith and I made up our minds to retain our arms and 
boldly make for home. After Duncombe's cowardly act 
of disbanding his forces the Tories of the country took 
heart and were making arrests right and left. 

The snow was about eight inches deep, hence it was 
desirable to take the road, and we accordingly took up 
our line of march for Durham Forge. We had ad- 
vanced but about three miles, when I saw the glitter of 
arms in advance of us, moving in our direction. Evi- 
dently we had not been discovered, so we stepped out- 
side of the road into the brush, and presently an armed 
squad passed by. When they had passed out of sight, 
we again pursued our journey, and had made some ten 
or twelve miles when we arrived at Squire Dobie's. 
The house stood close to the road, and as we passed 
the door out sprang three men, all with arms in hand, 
and exclaimed, '* We know you, you are some of Dun- 
combe's rebels. Surrender or we will blow the tops of 
your heads off! " In an instant both our rifles covered 
them. I said, " But raise a muzzle and you are dead 
men." They re[)lied, "We will have you before you 
iio a mile!" 



34 Life and Adventures of 

We pushed on and had advanced through alternate 
woods and fields for about three miles, when I heard a 
great clatter of hoofs behind us. I turned and saw a 
squad of horsemen rapidly advancing upon us. We 
immediately left the road, and as we were mounting the 
fence to take to the woods, they fired a volley at us, one 
of the bullets coming in very close contact with my skull, 
having just grazed my head and passed through my 
cap. We discharged our pieces at them and took to 
the woods, I minus my cap, which had fallen on the 
wrong side of the fence. Ben loaned me his handker- 
chief, which answered the double purpose of staunching 
the blood and making a covering for my head. We 
found it would no longer answer to keep the road, so we 
steered through the forest for Otter Creek. 

In the middle of the day the snow had thawed on 
the top, but when the sun went down, it had frozen 
such a crust that at each step it would break under foot 
and crack like the report of a pistol. We took our 
course by the stars and continued our tramp until late 
in the night, when we came to a house which we en- 
tered, weapons in hand. We aroused the family, whom 
we discovered to be loyalists, and demanded something 
to eat. We got a cold lunch and warmed ourselves by 
a log fire. The man exhibited the Queen's proclama- 
tion offering a free pardon to all who had been engaged 
in this " unnatural rebellion," and had not been guilty 
of arson or murder, if they would lay down their arms 
and return peaceably to their homes. I took the procla- 
mation, and we continued our journey, following a road 
which they said led to Richmond. 

But we soon discovered that the road was patrolled, 



Colonel T.. A. Norton. 85 



and we once more took to the woods, and after a time 
we came to another' clearing. The moon was shining 
brightly, and, on a distant rise of ground, we could see 
a village, and men moving about very actively. There 
was a stream before us, a saw-mill and a mill-pond, with 
saw-logs frozen in the ice. We managed to cross the 
stream on the logs, and on the side to which we crossed 
there was a band of colts. In order to shield ourselves 
from observation we drove them ahead of us until we 
reached a little grove of small pines, which we entered 
for consultation. 

Now we were satisfied that the place we savv above 
was on Talbot Street (a Government road running 
through the province), but what was the town ? If Rich- 
mond, we wanted to cross above it; if it was Troy or 
Aimer, we wanted to cross below it. At any rate we 
wanted to cross Talbot Street, as it runs east and 
west, and we were making south; and if we could get 
across the road and into the Quaker settlement, we 
would be safe. Ben and I disagreed as to where we 
were. While thus consulting, there was a general rush 
and clattering through the snow's crust and in a min- 
ute's time our grove was surrounded by a band of 
armed men far too numerous for us to cope with. We 
saw at once that we would of necessity be compelled to 
surrender, so we immediately hid our arms and walked 
out. 



36 Life and Adventures of 



CHAPTRR VI. 

A PRISON I'. U Ol' WAR. 

1 FOUND that 1 was ac(iiiaintccl with the nu'htia ca[")- 
tain whowas in cDininaiul, and on arriving at the hotel 
1 fouml old John Hurwcll, a cowartlly, pompous old 
Tor)' niaL;istratc. lie ravetl, ranted, and charged, de- 
claring that he never would lay down his sword until 
ever)' radical was exterminated. I was suffering very 
much, and succeeded in getting a bed, w hen I went to 
sleep and la\' until a.bout 9 o'clock in the morning. I 
now found my wounds very much inflamed, and I was 
also tired out and hardl)^able to get up. lUit Smith got 
some hot water and soap antl io the best o( his ability 
tiressed nu' wt)unds. That upon ni)^ heatl was a mere 
scratch, the bullet little more than cutting through the 
skin. 

When ni)^ wounds were dressed T came dmvn-stairs, 
where I found alnu^st ouv entire command prisoners, 
liaving been picked up in attempting to make their way 
{o their homes; and in fact many were arrested who had 
not turned out at all. Among others were David Stur- 
gws. a merchant, and William llerrington, a tailor. 
C^ne had kicketl oUl John Hurwell, and the other had 
cowhidetl him. But now it was Hurwell's turn, for, as a 
cruel magistrate, and captain oi' the militia, he almost 
held the power oi' life and death in his hantls so far as 
these men were concerned. 

I got m\-self somewhat strengthened up. had procured 
a hat, and had impro\ed m\- personal ai^pearance b)' a 
wash. WluMi thus n-freshcd I took the (Jueen's proc- 



CoT.oNi'.T. 1.. A. Norton. 37 



hiination frcjin iny [)()cket, read its prcjvisions, and de- 
manded my liberty. J^ut after much shufflinij;-, backint^, 
and pullin^^ in the matter, they came out and b(jldly de- 
clared the proclamation to be a fcjr^^ery, as they said, to 
catch rebels with. The U[)shot of the matter was, that 
at two o'clock in the afternoon of that day, we were all 
marched off as [)risoners to Simcoe jail. The next day, 
after we were all lodged in jail, orders were received to 
not allow any bail in the case of Sturgcs or lierrington. 
Of course, to them, it was a warning blast. 

Simcoe jail was a new building, in fact the scaffolding 
was still up, and guards were stationed on the inside. 
They gave me the name of Davey Crockett, and insisted 
that Tory bullets wtnild not penetrate my hide. Al- 
though a prisoner, and very young (having just entered 
my seventeenth year), from some cause, I know not what, 
these proscribed men seemed inclined to place confidence 
in me. They came to me and explained everything; 
said their lives were worth nothing unless they could 
escape, and that they could not esca[)e without assist- 
ance. Jn return, 1 told them that they could depend 
upon me; that 1 would look around and sec if any 
opportunity offered for their escape. 

Now the room in which we were (quartered was the 
court room, and from that, in the shape of an L, was a 
small room to be used as a jury room. There was a low 
trestle-work, covered with boards, where we slept — 
some sleeping below on the floor, while others slept up 
on the boards, stretched out like a long table. In look- 
ing out of the window I noticed that the scaffolding ])oles 
were still standing, with the planks forming the scaffold 
all intact. But I found that the windows were solidly 



;i8 Tjfe and Adventures or 

fastened in, and that the sashes were immovable. I also 
noticed that the window-panes were about ioxi6, and 
the idea struck me of passing the two men through the 
sash out onto the scaffolding. I communicated rriy plan 
to StuKges and Herrington, but told them that I would 
be compelled to take old man Blake into our confidence. 
Blake was a character. Notwithstanding the fact that he 
must have been about seventy years of age, he seemed 
active as a boy. He would sing songs, dance, and create 
a world of amusement. I approached him, and found 
that he was ready to aid me. 

I now notified Herrington and Sturges of my plan, 
which was as follows: Blake was to get up a regular 
entertainment to attract the attention of the prisoners 
and guard while I went into the jury room to break the 
window, and prepare for their exit. All worked like a 
charm, with one exception; there was a young fellow a 
little older than myself lying in the jury room, and I 
could not get rid of him; hence I had to make a confi- 
dent of him. Sturges was a large man and I was com- 
pelled to cut the munnion of the window to let him have 
the space of two lights. So I got the young man to 
pound with his heels on the boards, while I broke 
the glass and cut the munnion. When all was accom- 
plished, in the midst of old man Blake's dancing, I gave 
them the wink, and in ten minutes they were safe out 
on the staging and slipping down the staging poles. 

They went to the stable and stole their own horses 
and saddles, and rode them until they could go no 
farther, and then pressed others, on the plea that they 
were riding Queen's Express. All that was necessary 
to prove their loyalty was to tic some red ribbon or red 



Colonel L. A. Norton. ' 39 



flannel around their arms and luits. There was no tele- 
graph in those days, and they rode Queen's Express 
triumphantly out of the country. 

Wl^en the fugitives left the jail, and while yet on the 
scaffolding, they advised " Davey Crockett " to accom- 
pany them. I declined, thinking that as I was but a 
boy they would turn me out in a few days. Delusive 
hope 1 the Tory magistrates called all the boys before 
them for examination in regard to the escape of their 
leaders. I was examined among the others, and the 
most important query among the many was, Who aided 
Herrington and Sturges to escape? It was evident from 
all the circumstances that they must have had inside 
aid, and unfortunately for little " Davey Crockett," the 
young man who pounded with his heels while " Davey " 
broke the glass, peached. 

My friends had been mourning me as dead, as my 
cap had been shown to persons who knew it well, the 
parties who exhibited the bullet hole in the cap stating 
that a company had attempted to arrest me, but I had 
resisted to the last, and was shot through the head. So 
when my friends received a letter from me, and learned 
that I was still alive, they came immediately and tendered 
bail for my release. But it was no use; bail in my case 
was refused. The charges sto(xl thus: I had, by force 
of arms, resisted arrest at Squire Dobie's; had again 
resisted in the pine woods; had fired upon the squad sent 
out to arrest me, and had aided and abetted the escape 
of David Sturges and William Herrington. While all 
under the age of twenty-one years were to be discharged, 
the boy of sixteen was held a prisoner without bail. 

This made a kind of hero of ine in the eyes of my 



40 Life and Adventures of 



fellow-prisoners, aiul one week from that time it gave 
me sufficient influence among them, when we were about 
being removed from Simcoe jail to London prison, to re- 
sist the attempt to shackle us. We insisted that every 
man was deemed innocent until proved guilty, and that 
we would go anywhere with them without resisting if 
our limbs were left free, but not one step otherwise; that 
we would die with our limbs free, but would not live 
with them shackled. This resolve of ours created a dis- 
cussion between the guards and officers, but at last it 
was settled by their taking our parole, and we went un- 
bound. Erelong I discovered by their maneuvering that 
they wanted nothing better than for us to make an 
attempt to escape, that they might have an excuse for 
a wholesale slaughter. This was evident by their ap- 
parent carelessness in guard duty, and, in some instarxes 
insinuating that we were fools in not making a general 
rush for our freedom. But no attempt was made to 
escape, and at last we reached our destination. 

My condition was not different from evil-doers gener- 
ally. My reputation followed me and I was sent to the 
cells; and now a word regarding our treatment. While 
cooped up in Simcoe jail we had a large-sized sheet-iron 
stove (a common heater) in our apartment for our sixty 
prisoners to cook their own rations upon, and one thin 
blanket at night, and this in the midst of a Canadian 
winter. But this was comfortable when compared with 
our condition in the cells of London prison. When I 
say the cells, of course I don't mean the cells proper. 
Each cell was filled, but that was scarcely a beginning, 
as there were over six hundred prisoners in the castle. 
Every hall was crowded full, and there were no blankets 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 41 

or other covering save what the prisoners had on. As 
to the floors, they were filled with lar<:^e-headed spikes, 
the heads sticking up about three-fourths of an inch 
above the floor. And to augment our misery, there was 
an aperture about four feet vvide and longitudinally the 
length of the building, and extending to and thrcaii^h 
the to;:) of the structure, as an air passage to ventilate 
the building. In this cond tion we were kept for more 
than a month, when we received a supply of Llankets; 
that is to say, each man received a blanket, and our con- 
dition was further improved by many of the men in the 
cells being removed. Some were released on bail, while 
others were removed to upper and n1ore comfortable 
rooms. This so reduced our number that we who re- 
mained in the cells were enabled to crowd into the cells 
proper, where we could enjo)' bunks and yet have the 
privilege of the hall. 

About this time occurred a circumstance that nuich 
added to my comfort. One year before I had resided a 
short time in London, where I made the acquaintance of 
three ladies, sisters, one single and two married. I made 
the" acquaintance of the two elder sisters through the 
younger, as she and I had become acquainted and were 
on terms of mutual friendship. They were all estimable 
ladies. The eldest married a merchant named O'Brien, 
and the next one also married a merchant, by the name of 
Olvero Ladd, and my little friend had in the meantime 
married Samuel Parks, the jailer. The Tories had also 
imprisoned Olvero Ladd, on suspicion of treason, and 
thus Mrs. Parks' attention was drawn to me. She still 
proved to be a good and true friend, and as long as I 
could get the privilege of the hall I was all right, as 
4 



42 Life and Adventures of 

there was a diamond hole through to the kitchen, through 
which I\Irs. Parks was in the habit o( shpping pro- 
visions and dehcacies, as also candles, matches, and 
Yankee newspapers, with man\* a caution not to let the 
turnkeys catch me. This went on until my friends at 
home came to visit me, when they made such strong 
appeals in my behalf that I was removed to the room 
above, which, however, did not agree with my taste. 



CHAPTER VIL 

THRILLING INCIDENTS OF PRISON LIFE. 

THE authorities had now organized a Board of Ex:- 
aminers (we called it the " pecking machine "), which 
consisted of four magistrates and the lawyers, who sat 
every day and had prisoners brought before them for ex- 
amination. For nearly two weeks I was brought before 
the Board daily. At first I attempted to play the fool, 
and would answer their questions just as it happened, 
or as thoughts would strike me, without rh>'me or reason. 
I continued this course for three or four days, when at 
last one of the commissioners spoke up and said, " Look 
here, young man, we have \'our history, and it is useless 
for you to assume to be a fool. Your former operations 
p-ive that the lie." 

They continued to recall and dismiss me from day to 
day, but at length they changed their tactics, and pat- 
ronizingly said to me: " You are very young, and have 
doubtless been led into this by men that are now enjoy- 
ing their liberty, while you are here l\Mng in prison. 
Now all we ask of )ou is to disclose the names o\' your 



Colon K I. L. A. Norton. 43 

leaders and you will be released. Do you not know 
Jake Beamer, or Finly IMaleohn ? " and many others that 
they named. 

At last I got out o( patience, and turned upon them 
and said: " Yes, I am very nouul;-, perhaps too young-; for 
I have not lived long enough to learn to turn traitor to 
my friends. And what I know, will never benefit you, 
for before I woultl betray one of my unfortunate c(Mn- 
panions, to use the language of another, '' 1 would lie 
here until the vermin should carry me through the key- 
hole." Upon this retort, one of the Board exclaimed, 
'* Let that fellow go back where he came from." 1 said, 
"Thank you, gentlemen; then I shall soon be in the 
State of New York." '' No," he exclaimed, " we mean 
to your room, and give us no more of your insolence, 
sir, or you will go to the cells." I quietly asked, *' Can 
you get me any lower than the cells ? " The reply was, 
** Remember this, your life de[)ends upon your future 
conduct." I said, *' 1 have one consolation, however: 
you are mean understrappers, and can neither- take my 
life nor save it ! " They little knew what a hoan they 
were conferring when they sent me to the cells, where I 
could get something fit to eat, from Mrs. Park's kitchen. 

But the next time my friends came there was another 
tearful petition went before the commissioners to release 
me from the cells. Their petition prevailed and I was 
again sent to my room. By this time my wound hatl 
healed, and I was as lively and active as a cat — a tall, 
slender boy, height nearly six feet, and weight one 
hundred and thirty pounds. 

We used to indulge in all kinds of athletic sports for 
exercise. We had a regular caravan; each had the name 



44 Life and Adventures of 

of scMiie animal. I was the great anaconda, because, 
they said, I could tie myself in a knot. At this time I 
had been a prisoner about three months, and prison life 
had no terrors for me. And here I would say, by way 
of parenthesis, that after one month a man will be as 
content in jail as anywhere, and jail life has no further 
terrors for him. After becoming thoroughly accustomed 
to it myself, it used to amuse me hugely to see new 
prisoners come in. They would rant and tear around, 
kick the door, curse the turnkeys, and raise a general 
rump IS for the first two weeks of their prison life, when 
they would invariably have a sick spell. Recovering 
from that, they would strengthen up and lapse into a 
passive state. 

Thus things ran along. The prison became less 
crowded, many having been tried, and either convicted 
and banished to the penal colonies, hung, or acquitted. 
Our food^was so meager that had it not been for aid froni 
friends, and the privilege of purchasing what we got by 
way of notions, it would scarcely have sustained life. 
Each man was entitled to ei<^ht ounces of meat per day, 
and one pound of bread. But contractors were as rascally 
then as now, and the meat was saved up for outsiders, 
while enormous bones were weighed out to the prisoners. 
And as for bread, the stuff furnished us was a burlesque 
upon the name of bread. All the wheat in Upper Can- 
ada in the fall of 1836, owing to the long-continued rains 
about harvest-time, had sprouted in the fields, not « nly 
that which was in stack, but also wheat standing in the 
fields. Some of the sprouts were from one to two inches 
long. After the rains were over, this grain was dried 
and threshed, generally for feed; but it was deemed 



CoLONFX L. A. Norton. 45 

good enough to grind and make bread of lor rebels. 
We could break a loaf of our bread in two, and one man 
take one-half of it and another take the other half and 
walk apart, anc^ it would make a rope twenty feet in 
length. 

I remember on one occasion that we took a loaf of 
bread, broke it open and elongated it for about ten feet; 
then we tied a lot of bones together, decked them out 
with red flannel strings as evidence of their loyalty, and 
hung them from the window fronting a public square, 
where all might see them. Among the more humane 
citizens, even of the Tory party, they created quite a 
sensation. We claimed that it was unhealthful, and it 
was submitted to a Board of Physicians, who decided 
that the bread was perfectly healthful, but not fit to eat; 
that it might do for hogs to masticate, but not for men. 
The effect was that we were served with a little better 
quality of bread. Those who were able to, purchase 
supplies did so, and those who had neither money nor 
friends were helped to a more bountiful sup[)ly by tak- 
ing the rations of those who could purchase food. 

And food was not the only thing that was purchased; 
they were in the habit of paying the turnkeys to smug- 
gle in liquor, the effect of which finally resulted in a disas- 
trous row. One afternoon some of the prisoners sent out 
and had a twelve-quart pail full of whisky brought in in- 
stead of water, and before night some of them got pretty 
"mellow." We had a violin in the room, and a very good 
violinist. The music was started up, and dancing com- 
menced, and everything was jubilant. The dancing was 
continued until after nine o'clock at night, when they 
were notified to stop, but this they declined doing. The 



46 Life and Adventures of 



musician refused to nlay longer for fear they would take 
his violin from him. Stephen Bronger, a young English- 
man, who felt pretty merry, handed the violinist his 
watch to indemnify him in case his fiddle' should be 
taken fiom him. Then " the ball " went on again. 

In a short time the janitor came up with a ser- 
geant's guard, with guns and bayonets. The prisoners 
instantly formed in front of the music, each man seizing 
a billet of wood. The guns and bayonets were unwieldy 
in the room, so they were ordered out and in a few min- 
utes the guards returned with their bayonets in their 
hands, in charge of a captain. The prisoners again took 
their position, and the soldiers also formed in line, and 
the skirmish began. Alexander Nealy, one of the pris- 
oners, happened to be fronting the little EngHsh 
captain; he had an iron fire poker, which the captain 
ordered him to lay dow^n. Nealy refused and placed 
himself in an attitude of defense, when the captain 
made apasswMth his sword and gave Nealy a very severe 
scalp wound. Before the captain could recover his 
guard, Nealy dealt him a terrific blow on the head with 
the poker, which felled him like a beef Nealy sprang 
upon the captain like a tiger, and would have dispatched 
him had I not sprang in and interfered. I had not 
drank any liquor, hence I was sober and did not take 
any hand in the row until my interference was necessary 
to save life. The boys had driven the soldiers back to 
the prison entrance, but Sam Parks, the jailei;, had got 
through the ranks and was making for the violin, when 
Bronger discovered his object. They were both talh 
powerful men; Parks prided himself on being the best 
man in the country, but he found his full match in 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 47 

Bronger. They both seized the fiddle about the same 
time, and a more Hvely rough-and-tumble I have seldom 
witnessed. They finally broke the fiddle in two; Sam 
had the drum, and Bronger had the neck, strings, and 
bow. 

Hostilities ceased as by common consent. They 
picked up the captain and helped him out, and when all 
was settled down they returned and arrested Bronger 
with his half of the fiddle (which he still retained), and 
a few others whom they recognized, in:luding myself, 
although I was only acting to stop the row, as before 
stated; yet in the excitement I was mistaken for one of 
the active participants. We were all shoved down into 
the cells, the most of us, in our shirt sleeves, left in 
the hall without bed or bedding, or clothes to keep us 
warm. So the only thing we could do was; to make night 
hideous, which we did to perfection, by hoots, yells, and 
howls. Bronger fastened the fiddle strings to the finger- 
board, stuck a jack-knife under them for a bridge, and 
with the bow made such a horrid noise that no one could 
sleep in the lower part of the prison. 

In this situation we spent the night; but the next 
morning we were marched back to our room, without 
any attempt at further punishment. I am of the opin- 
ion that they had come to the conclusion that they had 
exceeded their duty in thus assaulting the prisoners 
when there was no attempt to escape, and were there- 
fore quite willing to let the matter rest. 

When the prisoners were first incarcerated at London, 
the guards were all raw militia, and were not at all 
acquainted with fire-arms, and through their awkward- 
ness several guns had been discharged in the prison. 



48 Life and Adventures of 

One gun had been discharged in the room in vvhicii I 
w.>s confined, and the ball had passed directly up through 
the ceiling, or floor of the room above; and the contents 
of another piece had passed through a partition connect- 
ing two rooms occupied by prisoners. While we had 
nothing better to do, with our knives we had, from time 
to time, cut and bored the door to our entrance until we 
got a little peek-hole through, from one-half to three- 
quarters of an iiich in diameter. The turnkeys grum- 
bled about it, but that was all the good it did them. 

Every little while there would be new prisoners brought 
in, and we were always very anxious to hear from the 
outside world. One day the turnkey of our room had 
informed us that several wounded prisoners were brought 
in from " Point O'Play," where there had been a severe 
battle on the ice (^in which the British got the worst of 
the fight). We were all anxious to communicate with 
them, but how? At last some one suggested the bullet- 
hole through the plaster and floor. I think our room 
was about twelve feet from floor to ceiling. We had 
several pieces of four-foot lath brought from the upper 
part or garret of the building. We sharpened one end 
of a lath, split the small end, and inserted a paper on 
which was written the words, "Ream out the hole;" 
then, by means of a high bench, we were enabled to 
stick the point of lath containing the paper through the 
jagged hole in the ceiling and upper floor. 

The prisoners above readily took the hint, and with a 
knife enlarged the hole to the size of an ounce ball, 
which enabled us to roll a half sheet of paper around 
the stick and slip it up to them, which they could answer 
by running a dispatch back in the same manner. This 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 49 

easy communication was established between the rooms, 
and once having the idea of communication suggested, 
a reaming out of holes became the order of the day. 
The bullet-hole in the room east of us was also reamed 
out, so that dispatches were sent back and forth. Then 
up-stairs, in the '* House of Lords," as we called it, there 
was a hall or large passage between that and a room 
east of them, with doors opposite, which did not swing 
close down to the sills. Two laths would reach from 
one room to the other, and by attaching them together, 
and a paper to one end, communication between the 
rooms was effected by sliding the laths back and 
forth. So we soon had a perfect postal system estab- 
lished between all the rooms. We were taken out about 
once a week, on top of the castle, for exercise, and on 
our return to our rooms we would occasionally pick up 
a lath and walk off with it without comment. In this 
way we had no lack of laths. 

But that was not the full extent of our communica- 
tion. I suppose it will be understood that the turnkeys 
were stationed outside of our rooms, and when our 
friends would come to see us we would be called for by 
name (that is when a permit was granted, which was 
not always the case), and an officer would stand by to 
hear all that was said and see all that was done. So it 
was but very seldom that anything could be slipped 
from one to the other. But one time when my sister 
visited me, on bidding her adieu on her departure, I got 
her back turned towards the officer in charge, gave her 
a knowing look, and, as I took her hand, I slipped a lit- 
tle paper into it telling her that she could come and talk 
at any time through the little hole that we had drilled 



50 Life and Adventures of 

through tlie door; and by standing close to the hole her 
body would cover it, and papers rolled up small could 
be easily and softly exchanged. This she communi- 
cated to the friends of various prisoners, and one can 
hardly -imagine the fidelity with which all these secrets 
were kept. 

After that we would hear much that was occurring 
outside, and our friends could know all from the inside. 
A dispatcii received at the door would be immediately 
forwarded to the proper room and address, and an answer 
returned to the messenger. For instance, John Doe, 
" House of Lords," East Room; Richard Roe, " House of 
Lords," or " House of Commons." Ours, being below, 
was called the " House of Commons;" that above, the 
" House of Lords." 

Where I was located, in the " House of Commons," 
the room was about eighty feet long and about sixteen 
feet wide, with several windows about eighteen inches 
wide, with one single two-inch bar running up and 
down through the center. In hours of idleness men 
must be thinking, and seeking some employment or 
amusement. So, among other things, our boys made 
investigations in regard to moving the caps from off 
the window-sills. We soon discovered that the lower 
ends of the bars were split in the center about six 
inches and then turned at right angles, forming a T 
reversed, the upper end being passed through the caps 
above and spiked down in the brickwork below with 
six-inch spikes, holes having been punched into the 
split ends of the irons for that purpose. Then a notch 
having been sawed out of the window caps the size of 
the bolt, the cap was slipped back and nailed down, 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 51 

holding the lower end of the bar. This had been 
temporary work, and hurriedly done for the accommo-" 
dation of the rebel prisoners. Having discovered how 
they were arranged, we -went to work and cut around 
the nail heads (the cap being of soft white pine), which 
was but a small task, when we could take the caps right 
up. Then to hide our work we chewed up some of our 
sticky bread and put it about the nail heads, forming a 
kind of putty that matched very well the dirty white 
paint. 

In the room where I was quartered, there were two 
small fire-places, in which were wrought-iron fire-dogs, 
the ends of which had been burned ofi~ One day when 
we had one of the bars exposed by having the cap off, 
I took an andiron, placed the end of it in the notch of 
the bar, and getting a lever purchase, without difficulty 
raised the bar, the spike being quite easily drawn down 
from the brickwork. When "I moved the bar up a little 
they swung it into the room and it came right out. 
Then we put it back just as it was before, and con- 
cealed our work; and in less than a week every bar in 
the room was loosened and left for some future occasion, 
but with very little prospect of ever being . available to 
us for any purpose. We were some twenty-five feet 
from the ground, and the walls being white would show 
every object that came in contact with them; besides, 
there was a sentinel at every angle of the building, and 
there being fifty angles, we were very well guarded. 

But I must not forget to notice a little incident which 
occurred during my stay in the " House of Lords." The 
British officers were in the habit of punishing the 
soldiers very severely for drunkenness, and of course 



62 Life and Adventures of 

when they found themselves the worse for liquor they 
would hide away and sleep it off One of them, on get- 
ting pretty full, attempted to hide himself in the garret, 
or rather under the roof of the castle. Now the " House 
of Lords" was the upper rooms of the castle, above 
which was the garret, and this fellow was attempting to 
creep under the roof immediately above one of the 
rooms, when he made a misstep and came down on the 
lathing instead of the joist, and one leg protruded 
through the ceiling. A regular shower of plaster came 
down into our room, and as we saw the leg hanging 
there, some of the boys caught hold of it and pulled 
the man down. The fellow was terribly frightened, and 
could not for a moment conceive what had happened to 
him.. When informed that we had taken him into a 
rebel camp, he seemed to have the impression that he 
was to be dispatched at once; but he was soon disabused 
of that idea, and finding us inclined to be friendly, he 
was soon very much at home with us. I took him 
under my wing, and in an hour we were fast friends. 
We played cards a great deal, and my new protege 
taug^ht me a trick with cards which he assured me no 
man in America could solve, at the same time pledging 
me not to reveal it. And I never have found a man 
who understood the trick. In the course of the after- 
noon I made an arrangement with the turnkey to let the 
fellow out and say nothing about the affair, he having 
become perfectly sober. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 53 



CHAPTER VIII. 

FRUITLESS EFFORTS TO ESCAPE. 

AS time passed on the number of prisoners became so 
reduced by bail, death, trial, transportation, and re- 
movals to other prisons, that at last there were but nine 
left in our room. We were known as the " old stock." 
We had a guard who had been attending on us for a 
long time, and with some of its members we had struck 
up quite an acquaintance. As on petition we were now 
permitted to have our outside door chained open nine 
inches for fresh air, we had an opportunity to converse 
freely. I had become quite familiar with one of the 
guards, and in the course of conversation, on his inquiry, 
I told him my story. He said it was a shame, and had 
he lived in the country he doubtless would be where I 
then was. He was an Irishman and a Catholic, and the 
most of that class sympathized with us, He remarked 
that if he could he would willingly leave the door open 
and let us walk out. I caught at it. 

It was a dark, cloudy day, with a drizzling rain fall- 
ing. I said, "You will be outside to-night on guard; it 
doubtless will be rainy and the sentries will be in their 
boxes; now, sir, here is a new English lever watch worth 
at least sixty dollars; you say you come on at midnight 
under our northeast window. If you will besnuglystowed 
away in your sentry-box at one o'clock in the morning, 
and not discover us nor make an outcry, the watch is 
yours." He readily acceded to the proposition. I gave 
him the watch; we agreed upon everything, and I in- 
formed him that we would tear up blankets to make a 



54 Life and Aj)ventures of 

rope, and descend from the window. We were occupied 
all the afternoon making arrangements for our flight. 
We were not disappointed regarding the character of 
the night. It was intensely dark and our arrangements 
were made to cross the south branch of the Thames 
River, enter a narrow neck of woods, follow by a path 
well know n to me to Westminster Street, and then south 
to near the second concession, where there was a wood- 
chopper's hut in a bushy by-place on my uncle's land; 
here we would be safe until the search was over. 

At length the hour came I mounted on a jury table 
and stuck the blanket rope out of the window and com- 
menced letting the end run down the white wall, when 
bang! went an old musket from below, the ball passing 
my breast and striking the face of the window-jamb, 
knocking off a lot of brick and mortar, which fell to the 
ground with a thud. The cry then came, " Is he dead ?" 
The reply was, " Yes, the poor fellow is dead;" but they 
soon discovered that the falling body was but brick and 
mortar. The whole command, apparently, came rush- 
ing up-stairs like a band of sheep, but after a little the^ 
excitement subsided, and the authorities entered our 
room to finely us all lying under the jury tables " fast 
asleep." But the tell-tale bar and blanket-rope lay on 
the top of the table. 

The officers began cursing us for rebels and ordered 
us out. We crept forth, rubbing our eyes. They hastily 
counted us, but could make out but eight. Where was 
the other? The officer in command ordered' the men 
to fire up the chimney, but the mouth of the chimney 
was so low, and the throat so small, that it was impossi- 
ble to insert a gun at the required angle; but the\' unfixed 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 55 



bayonets and ran them up the chimneys. In fact, the 
throats of the chimneys were but four inches wide, and 
would not have admitted a baby, much less a man. I 
remarked that I thought if they would count us more, 
carefully they would find us all there. We were im- 
mediately marched to the cells, the officers saying that 
they had a mind to " skiver " us. 

They kept us a few days in the cells, when we were 
taken out and promoted to the " House of Lords," which 
by this time was almost deserted, and the few tenants 
already there, with our force, did not at all crowd the 
room. 

There had been several attempts to rescue the prison- 
ers, on the part of a lot of braggarts that ranged up and 
down the St. Clair River, boasting what they were going 
to do. The Tories were really frightened, and were re- 
solved that we should not be released. So they excavated 
below the building in which we were confined, and de- 
posited many barrels of powder, I do not know how 
many, but enough to send us to glory anyhow. They 
covered a train to the barracks and gave public notice 
that if an attempt should be made to rescue us, they 
would fire the train and blow us all up. 

I must say for a few days after this I was not anxious 
to be released; but as time rolled on, the news reached us 
that a large force had crossed into Canada and was ad- 
vancing on London. Scouts were sent out, but were afraid 
to go out of sight of the city. They would retire to some 
secluded place and ride their horses until they would get 
them in a perfect foam; then come rushing in and 
report the rebels surrounding all sides of the town. 
Another would come in and report them nearer. At 



56 LIFE AND Adventures of 

last they got them within three miles of the town, when 
Hughey, the turnkey, came rushing into our room and 
exclaimed, " 1 would give a hundred dollars for an ax 
to cut down the bridge ! " The rebels, he said, had 
taken v\\ the axes and hid them. People were hastily 
packing up and leaving the city. The Tory magistrates 
had left, and the report had gone out that the invaders 
had proclaimed that if the prisoners were blown up that 
no quarter would be shown to man, woman, or child; 
and a deputation of citizens was appointed to call on 
the commanditig (jfficer to revoke any order for blowing 
up the castle. 

During the excitement, Mrs. O'Brien came rushing 
into our room, and the moment the door was closed be- 
hind her, she commenced jumping up and down, clapped 
her hands and exclaimed, "They are coming! They are 
coming ! They are coming ! and they dare not blow you 
up; I've heard them say so." The truth of the matter 
was, that an unusual number of Indians had collected 
at Maldon, and the word went out that they were rebels, 
and as the report traveled, the number increased until it 
swelled to a prodigious army. Mrs. O'Brien said to me, 
" I had a terrible time to reach you; I went to Sam Parks 
[he was her brother-in-law and the jailer], and he said 
that he dare not let me in, that I must go to the sheriff. 
Colonel Hamilton. He said that times were so trouble- 
some that I must go to the commanding officer. Colonel 
Maitland; and he would not give his consent. I then 
went back to Sam Parks, and told him that unless he 
let me in to see those poor prisoners I would make 
O'Brien commence a foreclosure suit against him in less 
time than twenty-four hours. I did not like to do this," 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 



^( 



she said, "but I found that nothing less than thethunnb- 
screws would do any good, and he knows very well that 
I have kept O'Brien from suing him for the last year." 
"Well," I said, "what then?" "Che hustled me up 
the back way and through the east room, and here I am." 

Well, the imaginary army did not appear, and as there 
were no signs of the approach of the enemy, and a 
teamster having arrived with his team direct from Maldon, 
everybody commenced plying him with questions as to 
the position, number, and equipment of the rebel army. 
The poor fellow was taken aback, and could not for a 
moment imagine what the people were after. The 
" rebel army ! " he had seen none. There was no unusual 
excitement more than that a large number of Indians 
and squaws were holding one of their annual festivals 
near Maldon. 

Thus the bubble had bursted, and an investigation 
proved that the whole story had originated in the gath- 
ering of the Indians for the green-corn festival, and some 
shrewd, patriotic parties had spread the story of the in- 
vasion, until the people had been so scared that a hand- 
ful of brave spirits, properly led, could have taken 
London. 

About this time there was a great deal of nervousness 
and unrest in the country, owing to the excitement and 
rumors of invasion from the Patriot sympathizers on 
the American side of the line; and the Patriots were 
ready to make another move whenever a rallying point 
should be indicated. The Scotch were all rebels, as we 
were called. I had two uncles living .on Westminster 
Street, six miles from London, and there were many 
staunch Patriots in the neighborhood; and, besides, my 
5 



58 Life and Adventures of 



uncles were at tlic head of the Scotch, of w horn there 
were over two hundred, all well armed wn'th rifles, who 
could at any time be called together by the blast of an 
enormous tin horn. In fact, my uncle David had a large, 
dry cqllar beneath one of his barns, filled with arms and 
munitions of war; and the organization was so perfect 
that in two hours' time a force of from three to four hun- 
dred men could be called together. 

In this connection I will introduce a vcr\^ remarkable 
character, Mrs. Anna Burch. She was m\' father's sis- 
ter, and was, of course, m\' aunt. At the time of the 
rebellion she was between thirty-five and forty years of 
age, but would not have been taken for more than thirty. 
She was of a very fair complexion, with auburn hair, and 
coal-black eyes, and I thought her the prettiest woman 
I ever saw. Her weight was probably about one hun- 
dred and twenty pounds; she was as agile as a cat, brave 
as a lion, and one of the finest female equestrians that I 
ever met. She was, to all intents and purposes, a rebel 
spy. She assumed the character of a doctress, rode 
from one end of Upper Canada to the other, had a very 
good idea of the use of herbs and simple medicines, 
and with an unusual amount of shrewdness and daring 
she mingled with all classes and complexions of political 
creeds. Thus she managed to be in possession of much 
valuable information from both sides. And what was 
more singular than all, she managed for several months 
to avoid suspicion. She notified many a Patriot who 
was to be arrested, in time to allow him to escape, and 
in her labors in the cause she seemed to be almost ubiq- 
uitous, and always to be found when most needed. 

One day, just before our attempt to escape, my aunt 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 59 

visited me, and while talking with me, when the guard's 
attention was drawn for a moment, she turned her back 
to the door where it was chained open nine inches, and 
I grasped a letter. To account for her back being turned 
to the door and her face to the sentinel, she addressed 
him and said, '' Did you speak to me ? " At last they 
began to suspect her, but w^ere unable to fasten anything 
upon her, and at the close of the rebellion she lapsed 
into a state of quiet, and finally spent her days and died 
at a ripe old age. 

On reading the letter which she had passed to me at 
the door, it notified me that on a certain day (I do not 
now remember the exact time), at three o'clock in the 
afternoon, Colonel Maitland, commanding the Thirty- 
second Regiment, who was then guarding London, would 
start on a march down the river to Delaware, and an- 
other c(vmmand, with a large supply of' military stores 
for London, would, by a night's forced march, reach 
London about six o'clock the next morning. When 
Colonel Maitland should evacuate the town there would 
be but thirty raw recruits to guard the town from three 
o'clock in the afternoon unlil six o'clock the next morn- 
ing; and if my uncle could be encouraged to sound his 
trumpet, assemble the Scotch and the little band of Pa- 
triots on Westminster Street, they could make a night 
attack, capture London, and release the prisoners. 

It was a bold conception for the woman, but another 
plan struck me. Oh ! how I wished for my liberty, if 
but for twelve hours. At this time the road leading 
from the east to London ran through what was known 
as Dorchester, or Buckwheat Pines. The road the sol- 
diers would have to travel passed through this pinery for 



60 Life and Adventures of 

seven miles, and they would enter the forest about twelve 
o'clock at night, and get through about two o'clock in 
the morning. At about three in the afternoon of the 
d.iy that the troops were to leave, I asked permission to 
go out. , There were guards stationed all around, and 
being so well acquainted with Parks and the turnkeys, I 
was permitted to wander about at will, sometimes for 
an hour or two. Consequently I walked boldly out, and 
sauntered up-stairs and out on the top of the building, 
where I could see all over the city. 

I noticed when I went up that the guards were 
changed, and that the militia had taken the place of the 
regulars. It was not long until I saw the baggage 
wagons drive in. The command was formed with the 
artillery in advance and marched out of town. Oh, could 
I only escape, what might I not do for my adopted 
country ! I knew that in one hour or thereabouts the 
guaid would be relieved. The last sentinel was close to 
the trap that admitted us to the roof, and in my soft 
listing slippers I could walk close to the hole undiscov- 
ered, and might catch the countersign. I resolved to 
make the attempt, and waited until I heard the relief 
coming long the hall, when I crept close to the hole 
and caught the countersign without the least trouble. It 
was quite loudly and distinctly given. 

One point was gained. I had the countersign; now no 
time was to be lost in trying to use it to my advantage. 
I waited till it was dark, when I walked boldly down the 
corridor and down the stairs until within twenty feet of the 
front door. I could not see any sentinel. I watched 
for about fifteen minutes, when I advanced towards the 
door, and when within six or eight feet of the door the 



CoLONKr, L. A. Norton. 61 



sentinel stepped out from bcliind a column, and walking 
up to me said, "Well, boy, is it not about time you were in 
your room?" I was taken all aback, but in a moment 
after he spoke I reco<,mized him as one of our old turn- 
keys. 1 lau^hin<,dy remarked, "Well, you would not 
lose much if you were to let me go." He said it would 
be poor policy, when they had got me fast enough to 
hang, to turn me loose. After a short time in light con- 
versation of that nature, 1 turned around and walked up- 
stairs. But, boy as I was, if he had had no assistance 
at hand, I would not have stopped; I felt that 1 could 
disarm him in a minute, but in that case I should risk 
having the whole pack onto me before I could get any 
further. I went into my den, but there was no sleep for 
me that night. 

Had I succeeded in my efforts to escape, I would to- 
day have been able to tell a more brilliant story, or else 
I would not be in existence at all. And this was my 
plan: As before stated, my uncles were at the head of 
some four hundred brave men. All that was necessary 
to call them forth was* a leader and a reasonable hope of 
success. I should have made my way to my uncles' as 
fast as my legs could carry me; aroused the Scotch, 
took about fifty ax-men to the Buckwheat Pines and 
felled trees across the road, to make a barrier in front of 
the soldiers. The road was cut out four rods wide, and 
the trees were very thick. Then I would have cut trees 
on bcjth sides of the road ready to fall, with drivers back 
to force them across the road. Then I should have cut 
a barrier ready to fall in the rear to hem in the whole 
command; and when they should have been hemmed in 
by the barricades, the ax-men could have hurled the 



62 Life and Adventures of 

trees onto them. Thus massed as they would have been, 
there could be no escape, and the riflemen could pour 
their volleys into them. 

We must have inevitably won an easy victory. We 
could have marched into London the next' morning, 
and taken it without firing a gun. i\nd such a vic- 
tory as we could have won there, with the ammu- 
nition and supplies, would have given us the principal 
city, with vast military stores, and would have enabled 
us, with the forces we could command, to follow up 
Maitland and capture him and his army before they 
could reach Delaware, and before they would be aware 
of any force in their rear. And I could not bring my- 
self to believe but what some bold spirit would see and 
take advantage of the opportunity, until the next morn- 
ing when I saw the troops come gallantly marching 
into London. Poor aunt Anna had exerted her ener- 
gies in vain, and I could not escape to reward her efforts. 



CHAPTER IX. 

FROiM PRISON TO HOSPITAL. — FINAL RELEASE. 

ABOUT this time I was taken down with a fever that 
prevailed in the city, and which had at last reached 
the prison. The physicians pronounced it bilious, in- 
clined to t3q3hus. The last thing I remembered, for 
some time, was holding onto a broom handle, and the 
physician bleeding me; and the next thing I remembered 
was seeing my fellow-prisoner.s, with my mother and 
sister, around me crying. 1 thought to m\self, I must 
be very sick, and will probably die, but I will be out of 



Colonel L A. Norton. 63 

the hands of the Tories; and again I recollected that I 
was being moved from the prison on a mattress. Com- 
ing in contact with the fresh air temporarily restored me 
to consciousness. 

Being acquainted in London, I tried to make out 
what part of town they were taking me to. Then all 
was again a blank, until one day I saw Doctor Moor 
by my side, with a snuff-box in his hand, as usual. He 
said, " Well, young man, you have cheated the devil this 
time." I had previously been acquainted with him. A 
year or more before this, while he was courting Prie t 
Cronin's daughter, and they were engaged to b^ mar- 
ried, on one of his calls she attempted to talk French 
to him, and made a terrible blunder, which caus -d an 
estrangement between them for some months. The 
matter was finally explained to his satisfaction, a recon- 
ciliation ensued, and they were married. I had heard 
the joke, and when he told me that' I had "cheated the 
devil this time," I thrust his wife's Fretich at him. He 
appeared startled, stepped back, and exclaimed, " Who 
the devil are you?" , My mother and sister seemed 
frightened at the recognition, but the joke passed off, 
and after the doctor had left his directions and departed, 
I again sank away. My sister told me that an hour 
after the doctor had gone, I commenced shaking so 
violently that she could hardly hold me on the bed. 

I have neglected to mention that on removal from 
the prison I was taken to the hospital, where I was con- 
fined. The doctor, on leaving, promised to return in an 
hour, and when he did so, he found me in the condition 
referred to. He said that was the turning point in my 
disease. When the shaking had subsided, I recovered, 



()4 LiKK AND Adventures of 

and retained my senses, yet I had no more mind than a 
child; as an instance of this, I was constantly imporlun- 
ini^- nn^ mother and sister to let me get up and go 
a-hshing. I remembered a trout stream where I used to 
fish, and I was determined to go and catch a mess of 
trout. .Thcv told mc I was tcx:) weak to go, and sootiied 
me as best they could, but I was resolved to get the 
doctor's consent and go. Consequently when the doc- 
tor came in 1 said, " Doctor, can I go fishing ? " He 
replied, " Yes, of course you can, ;ind it will do you good." 
1 exultingly whispered to my attendants, " I knew the 
doctor would lot mc go;" and I was going to get right 
up, but as I tried to raise my arm I found that I could 
not do so any more than if it had weighed a ton. 
Then 1 understood wh\' the doctor so readily gave his 
consent. Still I could not give up the notion of fishing, 
and commenced teasing m\^ friends to get Mr. Com- 
stock to make me a pair o( crutches so that 1 could -go. 
I was improxing \ er\' fast, and had a good appetite. 
I would cry for food, and my sister would cry because 
she dare not let me have it. I drew my rations of 
beef, and as I could not eat it, it was hung up near the 
fire-place to dr)-; and while my attendants were in 
another room. 1 raised m\'self up, took hold of the bed- 
stead, and tried to pull nn'self up so 1 could reach the 
beef. But as I got partiall)- straightened up, I lost my. 
balance and down I came, measuring my length on the 
hard, uncarpeted floor. As I was but a mere skeleton, 
the skin was peeled from my bones in several places. 
My mother and sister rushed out, gathered me up, and 
put me to bed again, where I lay for several days pretty 
quietlw until I got oxer m\- bruises, and had from time 
to time been helped up to a chair by the fire. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. G5 

But one morning they left ine sittini^ in a chair while 
they ate breakfast in another room. 'I'he meat that still 
luinL;- above my head was too temptiiii^' for nit^ and [ 
stuck my fmi^ers throu<4h a knot-hole in tin; lath where 
the i)laster was off and pulled myself up. i>ul not yet 
bcin;^" stroni^ enout^h to steady myself, 1 lost niy balance 
and away I went. There were no banisters around the 
welbhole of the stairway, and in my efforts to recover 
my lost balance I got so near the opening that when I 
fell, I went thumping and bumping to the bottom. 
The Irish sentinel exclaimed, "And what are ye doin' 
there?" 1 answered, "Trying to break jail ! " J^y that 
time my alt( ndants were at the head of the stairs nearly 
frightened out of their wits. The sentinel helped them 
carry me to bed, and I was not trusted alone again for a 
long time. 

When I had sufficiently recovered to walk about and 
l.)egin to think, 1 discovered that my nnnd was almost a 
blank, and things came back to me ([uite tardily. I 
was also left with a severe cough. Jn fict, the doctor 
told my sister, who was still with me, that though J liad 
weathered that attack, i could not live a year — that I 
would die of consumption. But I got so much better 
that the authorities began talking of sending me back 
to prison. I did not want to go back, and commenced 
thinking once more of escape, this time, by dressing 
up in my mother's clothes and i)assing out before the 
sentry in the evening. Now my mother was called a 
tall w^oman, but when I got on one of her tlresses 
my long s[)indle-shanks stuck through a foot, and I 
soon discovered that the plan would not work, and I 
was forced to abandon it. 1 had been indicted for high 



(iO Life .vnd Adventures ok 

treason several months before, but could not be con- 
victed, as I owed no allegiance to Great Britain, and as 
yet they had not determined what to do with me. As 
soon as .1 was able to do without a nurse, I was sent 
back to prison. But it was no longer the immortal nine; 
there wei^e but eight left. James Watson had died of 
the fever that had prostrated me for so long a time. . 

It was not more than a month, however, after my re- 
turn from the hospital until we received our sentence. 
It was rather a peculiar sentence, too, being a decree of 
voluntary banishment. This was judgment and sentence 
without a trial; but it was a kind of sentence by agree- 
ment, as each prisoner was asked the question, " Do you 
accept the sentence?" When it came to me, and the 
question was asked with all solemnity, I answered, 
'' Would a man refuse to be banished from hell to 
heaven?" Our final sentence was that if caught in Her 
Majesty's dominion after the expiration of three days 
we were to be taken as felons and suffer death. The doors 
were then opened, and we were permitted to pass out 
without a guard. 

I had about two dollars in my pocket, and my friends 
lived in the opposite direction from which to go to get 
out of the country. Mrs. Parks was present, and I bade 
her good-by. Mrs. O'Brien insisted that I should go 
home with her, which was but a short distance, and get a 
good meal before starting on my journey, and I readily 
complied. She gave me a good dinner, with all the 
port wine I dared drink, and offered to give me money, but 
I was too proud to take it. I thanked her kindly, and 
in taking leave of her she said, " Lewis, something tells 
me that you will one day return in trium})h; and if )'Ou 



Colonel L. A. Nortcjn. 07 

do, remember your friends." I joined my companions, 
who were ready for a start, and as I headed for my 
native country, I found from my extreme weakness that 
a common road was scarcely wide enough for me to walk 
in, but I was naturally a good walker. 

We had ninety miles to make on foot to get out of 
the country, and I think that the Tories devoutly hoped 
we would fail. I fell behind, and at dusk of evening 1 
could just discern my companions in the dim distance. 
They had found a hotel, and I came up, dragging my 
limbs after me. I got some refreshment and stretched 
myself on the soft side of a long bench, where I spent the 
night. I awoke the next morning a little sore, but on 
the whole much, refreshed. We got some breakfast and 
about seven o'clock we again started on our journey. 
That day I kept up with my companions, walking over 
thirty miles. We passed the second night at a kind of 
wayside hotel, having about thirty miles to go the next 
day to reach the St. Clair River. The exercise, bracing 
air, and good food, had temporarily revived me, and the 
third day I was one of the leaders in the march, and 
when we reached the river bank our companions were 
just coming in sight, trudging along, almost tired out. 
The last day we had suffered terribly for want of water, 
and at one time I was nearly blind from thirst. But 
near the road, in a swale where a tree had been uprooted, 
there was a muddy pool filled with midges, tadpoles, 
and lots )f little red bugs; from this po )1 I took a re- 
freshing drink, and was thankful for my good fortune in 
finding it. As soon as all the company had arrived on 
the bank of the river, a boat was secured, we exhibited our 
pas.ses, and in an hour we were at Black River in Mich- 
igan, 1 having borrowed eight cents to pay my passage. 



68 - Life and Adventures of 



CHAPTER X. 

EXPERIENCES IN MICHIGAN AND ILLINOIS. 

THERE was a good deal of sympathy expressed for 
the^ poor Patriots, who had been released from a 
Canadian prison, and who had been banished from .the 
Canadas, and their property confiscated. There were 
constant arrivals, from Black River to Grand Rapids, of 
persons seeking employment on the railroad, but there was 
an offer of work to our boys in preference to all others. 
As for me, I looked like the wandering " ghost of 
Colitus," and a single glance would have convinced the 
most casual observer that I could not go into the forest 
and wield the ax or the pick and shovel. But the con- 
tractor was very kind, and gave me employment as boss 
of a job of grubbing and clearing for the laying of the 
track through the Black River Swamp. My condition at 
this time was such that I could not sleep lying down, 
but had to assume a half-reclining and half-sitting po- 
sition, coughing all night. The people where my wash- 
ing was done remarked that the poor fellow would not 
come for his washing many times more. 

There was a garrison of United States troops close 
by, and there was considerable talk of war with En- 
gland on account of the burning of the steamer Caro- 
line; and I thought if I could only enlist, and live until 
we could attack the British forces, I would sell my life 
as dearly as possible, and die content. I tried to enlist, 
but the examining physician told mc that I had better 
seek a hospital rather than the barracks. As they 
would not receive me, I returned to our camp and re- 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 69 



suined my duties, hoping against hope for a continuance 
of my Hfe. 

One day shortly after this occurrence, the men cut a 
large pine tree, at the heart of which there appeared a 
kind of acid. It bubbled up out of the center of the 
stump as clear as spring water, and as sharp as the 
strongest vinegar. Among others, I tasted it, and it 
seemed to ,go right to the affected part, throwing me 
into the most violent paroxysms of coughing. With 
me it was anything that would kill or cure, and I had 
the boys scallop out the stump so as to hold the liquid* 
which I continued to use as a constant drink. And 
about the same time I commenced chewing spikenard 
root, which grew there in abundance. I also collected 
hemlock gum and made plasters, which I applied exter- 
nally to the region of the pains. 

I continued this treatment about two weeks, and felt 
the beneficial effects very sensibly. When we struck 
another pine producing a like acid, I continued to drink 
it, still using the spikenard root, and applying the hem- 
lock plasters. At the end of a month I was, so to speak, 
a new man. I had had a little property at Jamestown, 
in Canada, which was confiscated, and I was solely de- 
pendent on my wages for a living. But as soon as my 
family heard of my whereabouts, they disposed of their 
property and left the country, emigrating to Illinois. 
My brother called for me where I was at work, and I 
joined them, and we all reached Chicago, Illinois, late 
in the fall of 1838. 

The Michigan canal was then in course of construc- 
tion from Chicago to La Salle, where we all found em- 
ployment; but as my health improved, my military 



70 Life and Adventures of 

ardor increased, and I commenced p.annin^ an expedi- 
tion to invade the Canadas. There was plenty of ma- 
terial around me' — daring, reckless spirits, who were filled 
with enthusiasm. Many impromptu meetings were 
held, and in thirty days after the thing was started, I 
had over six hundred men enlisted for the expedition. 
But it was impossible to conduct the proceedings with 
that degree of secrecy that would insure success. They 
would hoot and cheer, and carry me around on their 
shoulders, with boastin js and demonstrations that I could 
not control. Consequently I hurried my arrangements. 
Chicago at that time did not contain over fifteen hun- 
dred inhabitants; in fact, it was but a village. There 
was an arsenal with a few hundred small armrs and two 
six-pound brass cannons, with some fixed ammunition, 
but not enough to carry out my plans, which were as 
follows: I would first arm and equip the men compris- 
ing the expedition, and also provide a supply with which 
to arm others after landing in Canada. I intended to 
lease a good large steamer, ship my command, and land 
them at Maldon, on the Canada shore; then commence 
a rapid march to the interior, sweeping through the set- 
tled parts of the country, compel every able-bodied man 
to join our standard, forage on the country for supplies, 
and leave nothing in our rear to oppose us. My march 
was to be so rapid as to give no time for plotting treason 
in the ranks, and but little time to array forces in front. 
Expecting by the time 1 reached London, Canada 
West, that I would have at least ten thousand ment I 
intended to garrison all captured towns with them and 
men loyal to our cause; for I was confident that at least 
two-thirds of the inhabitants of the -entire country would 
be in sympathy with the move. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 71 

But it is useless to give the plans of an exploded ex- 
pedition in detail ; suffice it to say it was my intention to 
sweep the Canadas, manufacturing my broom from their 
own timber. But while corresponding with parties at 
Detroit regarding arms and munitions of war at that 
place, the United States Marshal, one morning, tapped 
me on the shoulder and said, "Young man, several of the 
contractors on the canal have been making complaints 
against you, charging you with the intention of invad- 
ing Canada. These men are acting from interested 
motives, as in case you carried out your scheme it would 
leave their jobs without hands. I am frank to admit 
that I sympathize with your cause, but unless you dis- 
band and abandon the expedition I -shall be compelled 
to arrest you; so you had better take warning in time to 
avoid trouble." I remonstrated with him, and asked 
him if he could not take a journey, or volunteer and go 
with us; but he declined all overtures, saying, "I will do 
better than that, I will keep you all from getting your 
throats cut." 

Through the vigilance of the contractors and the 
marshal, our expedition came to an end. I worked 
that fall and winter on the canal, and the next spring 
drifted up to Warrenville, Du Page County, Illinois, 
where I remained some time with Harvey T. Wilson, 
who was very kind to me, and put me on track of some 
vacant Government land, of which I located one hun- 
dred and sixty acres. I gave my brother-in-law an 
equal interest in the land, and, being a good sawyer, my 
services were soon called into requisition at Carey's saw- 
mill, at thirty dollars a month. 

I worked there several months, during which time I 



72 Life and AdviiXtures of 

learned that one of my old Patriot friends, Caleb Kip, 
was residing on the west side of Fox River. We were 
ver\' intimate friends, and I made up nn' mind t.) visit 
him. So one day I set out, mounted on a favorite marc, 
which I prized very highly, on my contemplated visit. 
On coming to the river, I found it so swollen by the 
spring freshet as to carry off all the bridges, and there 
was no crossing short of Elgin. I was informed, how- 
ever, of a ford that could be crossed in ordinary stages 
of water, and I resolved to tr\' the ford. Arriving at 
the designated crossing, I found the stream running 
high and wild, and in the middle the current was very 
swift. Rut, nothing daunted. I plunged in. 

At first my mare found good footing, the water only 
coming half wa}- up her sides, and 1 was congratulati. g 
myself that it was not much of a feat, notwithstanding 
all the cautions 1 had received. But suddenly the 
noble animal dropped into the boiling current and went 
under, head and ears; however, she soon came to the sur- 
face, and eallantlv stemmed the ^ood with her ears an^l 
eyes out of water. The rushing current carried us rapidl\- 
down stream, but she continued to swim for the opposite 
shore; \'et I could see that she was beginning to fail, 
that the effort was too much for her, and 1 was seriousl\- 
thinking of throwing myself off from her back when 
she struck bottom. About this tinie 1 saw an old gen- 
tleman by the name oi' Hill running down to the river 
for his boat. The mare continued to wade toward the 
shore, which was )-et at a cc>nsiderable distance; but hav- 
ing eonc some fort\- or fiU\- \ards, down she went 
again and had to swim for dear life. 1 now saw that 
there was but one show for her or me, so 1 slid ot'f 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 73 



behind, seizin- her by the tail, and thus rcHeved she 
brought me to shore. The old gentleman met us at the 
point of landing and assisted me to the house, for I was 
so chilled and benumbed that I could scarcely stand. 
He built a big fire, and while I was warming myself and 
drying my clothes, he took care of my horse. He gave 
me a big horn of whisky, and presently some dinner, 
and in an hour and a half I was on my way a<^ain 
arriving safely at my friend's house without further 
adventure. 

The next afternoon I went back home, but not by 
the same road; I went by way of Elgin. I resumed 
my work at Garey's; the thaw continued, the ice was 
broken, and we expected, with the force of the ice and 
the immense flood of water rushing upon the mill-dam, 
that the dam must give way, although we were making 
almost superhuman efforts to save it. Several of the 
hands, myself among them, had been all day on the 
lookout, and wherever a hole was discovered we would 
stuff in straw and dirt. 

Night came on and I remained with a lantern to 
watch for. breaks in the dam. Next to the mill there 
was a large bulkhead, and fifty feet from that, out 
near the middle of the dam, was a second bulkliead, 
and between the two there was a low place, about four 
feet lower than the rest of the dam, which was called the 
" roll-way." Over this roll-way, where the surplus water 
escaped over the dam, was extended a small log, about 
eighteen inches at the butt, running to about six inches 
at the top. We used to walk this timber to get from 
the mill to the middle of the dam, which was the highest 
part and was above water, making a little island; and as 
6 



74 Life and Adventures of 



the water kept washing it away, it became very small. 
Time had passed, the water was rushing and moanine^ on 
every side of me; it had become evident that the mill 
and dam and everything must soon go before the force 
of the flood. I must escape from there or be drowned. 
Still I femained on the little island in the middle of 
the dam. On one side was a swinging pole or timber 
that swayed to and fro with my weight, and passing over 
the roll-way was a boiling, seething flood, resistless in its 
force, and terrible in its fury. It is true that in day- 
light, and when the water was at its normal stage, I had 
often walked the log; but now, over the raging flood, 
with a roaring cataract all around me, by the uncertain 
light of a lantern, and the log slippery with water, could 
I succeed in the undertaking ? and would it not be 
courting death to make the attempt ? To fall and go 
over the dam would be just as fatal as to go over Niag- 
ara Falls; but what was to be done? I would have 
to take to the water like a spaniel — no, not like a 
spaniel, for he could not have survived two minutes. 
The dam on that side was made by spiking two-inch 
plank onto a timber foundation at an angle of about 
forty degrees, leaving nothing but the edge of the plank 
as a footing or top of the dam; and over this the water 
was pouring waist deep for a distance of three hundred 
feet. 

All on shore had been aware of my danger for hours. 
I could not hear anything that was said on the shore, 
but they were gesticulating violently and beckoning with 
lights for me to cross the log. But I felt that it was im- 
possible for me to accomplish the feat. But I must do 
something, and that seeming to be the only chance, I 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 75 

must try. I took the lantern and made the effort. The 
small end was next to me, and I started out, the water 
running below my feet with lightning speed, as seen by 
the dim, uncertain light of the lantern. My head began 
to swim and I was losing my balance; I was falling, 
but I could not turn. I was about twelve feet out on 
the log. As a last hope I threw myself backwards, 
making a desperate leap. My feet, legs, and lower part 
of my body struck in the water, but one arm had struck 
over the timbers of the waste-gate. I was at least tem- 
porarily saved and dripping. Again I took the position 
but a minute before abandoned. 

My little island in the middle of the dam was con- 
stantly growing less as the flood arose. But there was 
one hope still left, and I lost no time in trying to take 
advantage of it. The water was waist deep where it 
was pouring over the dam on the west side. I took a 
long pole and ran it down in the water on the upper side 
of the dam, and commenced wading and feeling with 
my feet for the edge of the plank, steadying myself 
with the pole, and in this way I waded some fifteen rods 
to the west shore, where I arrived without a dry thread 
on me, and chilling from the icy coldness of the water. 
I was safe from the perils of the flood, but there was no 
house or habitation on that side of the stream within two 
miles. 

What was to be done? I dare not attempt to reach 
a house on that side, and I concluded to try to cross the 
stream. There was a bridge below the mill, but covered 
at this time with three or four feet of water. I took my 
pole and wading in to the approach of the bridge, found 
that the planking had been all floated off, but the abut- 



70 Life and Adventures of 

ments being yet firm in the earth, the stringers had not 
gone. . So I felt my way over, steadying myself with the 
pole, and safely reached the other shore, where I was 
soon made comfortable. 

The next spring, that of 1839, I went over to St. 
Charles, on Fox River, on a fishing excursion, and there 
met an old gentleman by the name of Calvin Ward. 
He wanted to hire a man to work as a common laborer, 
offering fair wages. I soon struck up a bargain and went 
to work for him, continuing about three months, when 
the old gentleman wanted me to cut prairie hay for him 
and in payment he would sell me town lots. I made 
another agreement with him and commenced cutting 
hayi At this I made about five dollars a day, and soon 
found myself the owner of thirteen town lots in St. 
Charles. It was a growing little town, and in one year 
m}' lots had quadrupled in value. 

In the meantime I had made the acquaintance of a 
young lady by the name of Fisk, and married her in the 
fall of 1840. Fisk was a native of Massachusetts, and 
had come out to the West for the purpose of locating in 
the country, and Christianizing the heathen, as well as 
improving his worldly condition; and, to use his own 
language, he thought he " would find the people poor, 
ignorant, and honest." He said he " found them poor 
enough, and ignorant enough, but could not boast of 
their honesty." He brought five thousand dollars out 
with him, and the poor, ignorant, and honest inhabitants 
of the West had got it all from him, and all that he ha4 
to show for it was a settler's claim to a beautiful piece of 
prairie land about two miles east of St. Charles. How- 
ever, his father was a wealthy man and he was heir 
expectant. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 77 

We soon arranged matters; I was to go onto the 
farm, extinguish a small lien upon it, and, when the land 
came into market, pay the Government and then we 
would own the place in equal shires. I took possession 
of the farm, and Deacon Fisk went back East to visit 
his parents. I cleared the indebtedness from the farm 
and deeded it, and at the end of a year the deacon 
returned, but not wishing to farm it he settled in Ge- 
neva, selling me his interest in the place. 

At this time money was very scarce in Illinois, and 
nearly all business transaction was in trade. It happened 
that I turned out to be a pretty good trader, and at the 
end of the year I owned my prairie farm and about eighty 
acres of timber land situated on a small creek, when I 
took it into my head to erect a saw-mill on the creek, 
to the infinite mirth of my neighbors generally. And 
many of my sympathizing friends remonstrated against 
my folly, telling me that it was a pity that I should 
squander my property, for which I had struggled so hard, 
on so foolish a 'project. Notwithstanding the many 
cautions, I struggled on, completed my mill, and made 
it a paying institution; and instead of its ruining me, I 
paid for it in the first four months run. 

My wife was a little, fragile woman, and sick much of 
the time. She was an only child, and her mother in- 
sisted on her remaining with her most of the time, which 
broke me up very much — so much that in fact I was in 
a worse condition than I would have been if I had had 
no wife at all. I was leading a miserable existence, 
when circumstances occurred which for a time changed 
my whole course of life. 



78 Life and Adventures of 

CHAPTER XL 

MEMOIRS OF THE MEXICAN WAR. 

ALL will remember, on the declaration of war by 
the United States against Mexico, how nobly the 
State of Illinois responded to that call. Thousands of 
her citizens left their various occupations and offered 
their services to maintain the honor of their country; 
and this outburst of patriotism was not confined to class 
or creed; the artisan, mechanic, laborer, and professional 
man alike, rushed to the field to swell the ranks of our 
citizen soldiery; and at very short notice six regiments 
marched to the seat of war, from that State. Kane 
County soon furnished her company, which was fortu- 
nate enough to be received as Company I, Twenty-second 
Illinois Volunteers; term of enlistment, during the war. 
I say fortunate, for many companies were too late to 
be permitted to join in that struggle. I raised the com- 
pany referred to, and having been promised the position 
of quartermaster, I refused to be elected captain, from 
which a suspicion arose among my men that I did not 
intend to accompany them to Mexico. I assured them 
that I would go if they had to carry me on a litter. 

We took steamer at St. Louis for New Orleans, 
and en route I was taken down with the measles. A 
person could not well imagine a more uncomfortable 
spot to encounter such an enemy, crowded as we were 
betwe n the decks of a Mississippi steamer, in the month 
of July, in that climate; and when we reached Carlton, 
seven miles above New Orleans, w^here we were to await 
a ship for our transportation, the measles had broken out 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 79 

and I was in a burning fever. I took a carriage for the 
hotel, leaving my servant to take charge of my baggage. 
On reaching the hotel the landlord remarked to me: 
"Young man, you seem to be ill?" I answered in the 
affirmative, and told him that I wanted the best accom- 
modations he could give. To my surprise and mortifica- 
tion, he informed me that he was very sorry, but he could 
not take me into his house, as by so doing his boarders 
and customers would all leave him; that the yellow fever 
had broken out in New Orleans, and that every sick 
person would be suspected of having that disease. 

I remonstrated, but in vain; he was inexorable, and I 
ordered the driver to take me to the next, and only 
other hotel in the place. There, after informing the 
landlord of my true condition, I was taken in, and after 
being seated in my room I rang for a pitcher of ice water, 
when, not the ice water, but the landlord put in an ap- 
pearance and informed me that it would be impossible 
for him to keep me in his house, for if he should do so 
his guests would all leave him; this information, sick as 
I was, very much irritated me. I asked the landlord if 
there was any military hospital in the place. He replied 
in the negative. I then asked him if there was any 
officer of the quartermaster department there. He in- 
formed me that he believed there was a quartermaster- 
sergeant there. I requested that he be sent to me. He 
soon called. I related to him the condition of things, 
and asked if there were any arrangements made by the 
quartermaster department for the accommodation of 
the sick. He told me that a building had been rented 
for that purpose, and a few cots provided — nothing more. 
I informed him that I was acting quartermaster of our 



80 Life and Adventures of 

command, and ordered him to place furniture in the 
buildinc^, and make it as comfortable as possible; then 
directing my servant to have my baggage brought to the 
hospital, I took ni}' satchel in my hand and accompanied 
the sergeant to the place, traveling more than a mile in 
my condition, through the broiling sun at midda\'. 

When we arrived at the place I threw myself down 
on a cot, and that was the last I remembered for about 
eight days. On my returning to consciousness I was 
informed that a lady living near the place had been my 
nurse, and gave me all the attention that could have been 
bestowed on me at my own home. With careful nurs- 
ing and the attention of our surgeon, Wm. B. W^hitesides, 
and aided by youth and an excellent constitution, I was 
enabled to weather the blast. WHien very weak and 
scarcely able to stand alone, I was informed that a ship 
had arrived to transport us to the seat of war, and that our 
place of destination was Tampico; but to my chagrin, I 
learned that the doctor had declared that it would be 
wholly impossible for me to stand the sea voyage, and 
that the colonel had ordered me to remain in the hospi- 
tal until I had recovered my health sufficiently to stand 
the trip. " 

When I was informed of that fact I was very much 
disheartened, and resolved to go at all risk. I accord- 
ingly sent for my colonel and the surgeon, and begged 
of the colonel to countermand his order. He said 
he had acted with a view to my good, but if I in- 
sisted on going he had no objections. The doctor (I 
suppose for my consolation) informed me that if I 
made the attempt they would have to bury me at sea. 
I could not see it in that light, but told the doctor that 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 81 

I was going, and if I died on the passage I wanted them 
to bury me on the Mexican'shore, and not at sea, for I 
had started for Mexico, and to Mexico I was going ! I 
gave my servant twenty dollars for the woman who had 
nursed me, and told the boys to prepare the litter, for I 
intended to keep my promise with them; but instead of 
the litter they mounted me on the colonel's horse, with a 
man walking each side to steady me, and in that way 
transported me to the ship. 

We had a pleasant voyage, in due time arriving at 
Tampico, which lies on the north side of the Tampico 
River, about six miles from its mouth, in the State of 
Tamaulipas. This has the reputation of being the most 
sickly place in the world. Yellow fever and black vomito 
sweep off its hundreds yearly. The place is almost sur- 
rounded by stagnant pools and lagunas. On our arrival 
I was not only alive, but was able to walk the decks of 
the vessel. We had no fighting at this place. Captain 
Chase was the American consul, and on the first arrival 
of the American ships of war, Mrs. Chase hoisted the 
stars and stripes at their residence, and Tampico sur- 
rendered at discretion. I was soon domiciled at the St. 
Charles Hotel, kept by Mexicans, of course. They spoke 
no English, and I could not speak a word of Spanish; 
the consequence was that I would call for one thing and 
they would bring me another; but we managed to get 
along for three or four days, while my quartermaster- 
sergeant, under the supervision of Dr. Whitesides, was 
perfecting our hospital arrangements. 

About this time the doctor called in to see me, and 
announced the fact that they had so far progressed as to 
get a building; had supplied the more urgent necessities 



82 Life and Adventures of 

of the sick, and had made a couple of rooms ready for 
myself and attendants. All that was now lacking to 
make me comfortable was a supply of water, which, by 
the way, was hard to be obtained there, as I afterwards 
learned; all that was used, except what was saved from 
the winter rains in cisterns, had to be brought down 
the river from above tide water, in casks. I was much 
elated with the idea of again getting among my com- 
mand, for they all looked upon me as their captain. As 
Lieut W. G. Conkling used to say, Captain Harvey never 
drilled his company in his life, which was literally true, 
and when I was engaged in my staff duties Conkling 
generally commanded the company. 

The morning after my interview, Mr. Chase, hospital 
steward, came down to the hotel to see me; I requested 
him to allow me to lean on his arm and I would attempt 
to go with him to the hospital. He consented, and when 
arriving there I did not feel exhausted, and asked him 
to walk along with me and we would try and procure a 
glass of strong beer or ale, as I felt somewhat thirsty. 
We had not advanced far before I noticed, sitting in 
well-furnished apartments, an elderly man of rather light 
complexion, who, as I thought from his appearance, was 
not a Mexican, and perhaps could speak our language. 
Being on the sick list I was attired in citizen clothes, and 
looking in sharply at the old gentleman, he arose and in 
good English asked what I wanted. At that I turned 
in towards his door and informed him that I would pre- 
fer a glass of strong beer or ale to anything else at that 
time. He remarked, " Pretty well, that a British consul' 
should be called on so early Sunday morning for beer." 
I quietly informed him that if he had not got it, I should 



CoLOx\KL L. A. Norton. <S8 

propose ^ettin^ it in Tampico, as the J^2ngli.sh were all 
lovers of ^ood ale. It being a national joke, the old 
man burst into a hoarse lau^^h. 1 turned on my heel 
and informed him that I probably enjoyed the joke as 
well as himself 

Time rolled on; I had recovered my health, and as my 
quartermaster duties were light and many of our officers 
were then sick, I volunteered to do duty in the lines; 
and as 1 was riding my rounds as officer of the day near 
the western defense of Tampico, one evening, 1 fell in 
with the British consul. He .seemed very affable, and 
among other things asked to what command I belonged. 
I informed him that I belonged to the Illinois regiment, 
when he observed, " I have a good joke to tell you of 
one of those green ' suckers.' " He then proceeded to 
narrate the beer story, stating that he thought to awe 
the man by informing him who he was, but observed 
that the cool answer of the fellow amused him. I asked 
him if he would know that green ' sucker ' were he to 
meet h'm again. He said, "No; how should I know 
him when there are so many calling on me every day 
for something ? " 1 raised my cap and said, " i^ehold 
in y(jur humble servant the green ' sucker ' that called on 
you for the beer." He seemed somewhat surprised, and 
then added, " Why didn't you tell me who you were ? 
I had no beer, but I possessed some very nice wine and 
good old brandy;" and at his earnest solicitation I was 
induced to accompany him home to take the proof of 
his assertion, when we made a night of it. 

I thought no more of the matter until the next Satur- 
day, when a paragraph appeared in the Tampico Sentinel 
giving the anecdote of the green "sucker " calling on 



84 Life and Adventures of 

the British consul for beer, and hinting that the green 
"sucker" turned out to be an officer in the army. The 
story was copied in most of the Eastern papers, and 
again made its appearance in Tampico, when it became 
a question as to who was the green "sucker." Major. 
Jerolt had come down from Altamira with most of his 
command, and we were having a good time at the office 
saloon in Tampico, when the question was again asked, 
"Who was the green ' sucker'?" I called the crowd to 
the bar, and after filling, I told them that I could not 
keep a good joke, although it might be at my own ex- 
pense. I " acknowledged the corn," and was ever after 
known as the veritable " green sucker." 

Colonel Gates, with brevet rank of brigadier-general, 
was military governor at Tampico, and commander of 
the forces stationed at that place, being about two thou- 
sand five hundred in all; and by his orders our regiment, 
or rather battalion (as one battalion of our regiment was 
ordered to join General Scott), was stationed on the north 
side of the city, when we first began to enjoy the beau- 
ties of camp life. We were quartered in our tents, and 
compelled by orders of the commander to maintain a 
guard around our encampment, making a regular detail 
of about thirty men. Owing to the great nimiber sick, 
and the small numerical force, together with the extreme 
heat, the duties were very exhausting and laborious, and 
our colonel had made several efforts to obtain an order 
reducing or entirely abolishing the guard, but without 
success. After things had continued in this state from 
four to six weeks, an occurrence took place which entirely 
relieved us of this guard duty; it happened thus: We 
had enlisted a man bv the name of Tubs, who was of 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 85 

fine intellect, and had been the recipient of a liberal 
education; but spirituous liquors were his curse, and Tubs 
was but little more than a common drunkard, and in 
fact would never be sober when he could get liquor on 
which to get drunk. This man was on guard one night, 
and happened to be stationed on our line where it com- 
manded the Altamira road, and it appears that Gates, 
the commander, had in the evening gone out in the 
western portion of the town, purposes unknown, and 
about eleven o'clock at night came riding in and advanced 
on Tubs, the sentinel. Tubs challenged him. 

The general replied, -'A friend." Tubs said, "Ad- 
vance and give the countersign ! " The general replied, 
" I am General Gates, commander of this post." Tubs 
again ordered him to stand. The general was furious, 
and made a move as though he would force the guard, 
and again reiterated, " I tell you, I am General Gates, 
commander of this post!" When click, click, went the 
old musket, and Tubs said, " Advance a step, and I will 
blow your head off! I don't know General Gates, com- 
mander of this post, but I know I am commander here." 
The general was compelled to stand; trembling with 
rage, he said, " Call the sergeant of the guard ! " Tubs 
replied, " I don't want the sergeant of the guard, and do 
you remain where you are until the relief comes; and if 
you make any attempt at escape I will shoot you ! " He 
then kept the old general frothing and swearing an hour 
and a half until the relief came, when Tubs remarked to 
the sergoi^t, "I have a prisoner there who could not 
give the countersign; he says he is General Gates, com- 
mander of this post, but any man could say that." The 
sergeant advanced to the general, saluting him. The 



86 Life and Adventures of 

general demanded : " Where is your colonel ? call him ! " 
The sergeant went to the colonel's marquee, called him 
up, and told him who awaited him. On the colonel's 
approach, the general bellowed out, " What fool have you 
got there for sentinel ? He has kept me standing here 
a prisoner for two hours !" 

The colonel apologized and said it was impossible for 
the sentry to know him. The general swore vengeance 
against poor Tubs, and declared he would have him se- 
verely punished. He then turned to Colonel Hicks and 
said, " Remove this guard; it is of no earthly benefit, and 
is becoming a nuisance." The order was promptly 
obeyed; Tubs was never punished, but was drunk as a 
lord the next three days, the boys furnishing all the 
liquor he could drink. His dissolute course atlast proved 
too much for his organization, and in about two months 
after the occurrence referred to, the bo}'s fired a farewell 
shot over his grave, and we left him to take his final 
sleep in the lowlands of Mexico. 

Things began to assume shape; we had .strengthened 
the western defenses of the city by erecting strong field 
batteries commanding the Altamira road on the north 
and the Panuco River, above Tampico, on the south side, 
the two principal points from which an attack could be 
made from the interior. On the north side of the river 
and to protect us from attack from Pueblo \"iejo or 
Tampico el Alto, we had erected heav\' batteries below or 
east of the city in such a manner as to protect the east 
and south. This measure was deemed highly essentic^l 
as we were informed that there was a heav}' force of 
Mexicans and Indians stationed at Tampico el Alto med- 
itating a descent upon Tampico. This information pro- 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 87 



duced such an effect upon our commanding general that 
he had a strong guard placed all around the city, as well 
as patrols in different directions; and this was a very 
necessary precaution, for at the time we had not pene- 
trated the enemy's country more than fifteen miles in 
any one direction, and consequently were ignorant of 
their resources or forces, or at what time or point we 
might be attacked by superior numbers, hence all was 
under vigorous military discipline, and our volunteers, 
as a general thing, had assumed the appearance of 
veterans. 

But all commands have their exceptions; we had our 
awkward squad, and some had been sick ever since land- 
ing in the country, having had no opportunity to im- 
prove as soldiers. I found a laughable case in our com- 
mand; he was an Irishman belonging to Company A. 
Pat had been in the hospital most of the time since our 
arrival in Mexico, but had recovered and was reported 
for duty. The first' time he mounted guard, being 
wholly ignorant of the duties or responsibilities of his 
position, or the penalties attached thereto, he comfort- 
ably seated himself beneath a shade and went to sleep. 
The relief, it appears, found him in that condition, stole 
his gun, awakened him, and placed him under arrest; 
but finding him so wholly ignorant of the consequences 
of his act, the officers of our command concluded not to 
prefer charges against him. His captain gave him a 
severe reprimand, and assured him that if he was ever 
again found asleep at his post, or even allowed any one 
to get possession of his gun, he would certainly be shot. 

One night, not long after Pat received his reprimand, 
I was on duty as officer of the day, and Lieutenant 



88 Life and Adventures of 

Poleon was officer of the guard; as we were riding our 
grand rounds and came up to old Fort Ann, at the 
western defenses of the city, I saw a sentinel walking 
his post as large as life, without a gun. I said to him, 
"Where is your gun, sir?" Pat replied, ''And that's 
what }'ed be findin' out now ! " I said peremptorily, 
♦' Where is your gun ? " Said Pat with a knowing grin, 
"'Tis not the likes o' ye I'd be tellin' that same now." 
I called the sergeant of the guard, and ordered the fel- 
low under arrest, when Pat exclaimed: " Ah ! bad luck 
to the day I iver intered the army; and shure the captain 
tould me if iver I lit them get me gun again they'd shute 
me like a dog, and now here I'm bein' arristed for not 
lettin' him get it." He turned his head and seeing Po- 
leon, exclaimed: " Shure and this is me own leftenant; 
tell me, mon, fwhat shall I do ? " Poleon rode up to the 
fellow and quietly asked him what he had done with his 
gun. Pat said, " Will they not shute me if I let the 
spalpeens git me gun ? " Poleon explained to the Irish- 
man the nature of his duty, and after a while he began 
to understand the condition of things. At Poleon's re- 
quest I had him released, when Pat beckoned us to 
follow; he marched to the other end of his beat to a 
heavy piece of ordnance in battery, and running his 
arm down the bore of the cannon, drew forth his musket; 
he had it safely hid there to keep the " spalpeens " from 
finding it. Pat was an odd stick, but turned out to be 
a good soldier, and a brave man, and evinced much dar- 
ing at Agua Cotta. 

While speaking of different characters, perhaps it 
would not be out of place to give a passing notice to our 
New Orleans recruit. At Carlton, a quite boyish and 






Colonel L. A. Norton. 89 

good-looking fellow made application to enlist; was 
examined by the mustering officer, received and mustered 
into service. When we had been in Tampico about two 
months, one morning a good-looking young woman 
stepped into Colonel Hicks' quarters and said, " Good 
morning, Colonel Hicks, I have become tired of soldier- 
ing, and would like my discharge." The colonel looked 
at her with surprise, and remarked, " You have the ad- 
vantage of me; I fail to recognize you." She laughingly 
answered, " Don't you know your New Orleans recruit ?" 
The colonel seemed rather taken aback at first, but, 
rallying, said, "You have your discharge, but whether 
it is honorable or not, depends on yourself" Though 
she had her election, I fear it was not a very honorable 
one; as I ofttimes thereafter saw her at fandangoes and 
other public places, sometimes in male and sometimes 
in female attire. She followed the army to the city of 
Mexico, where I lost track of her. 



CHAPTER XII. 

MEMOIRS OF THE MEXICAN WAR — CONTINUED. 

IN writing this memoir it is not my intention to repro- 
duce the written history of the war between the 
United States and the Republic of Mexico, nor any part 
of it; but merely to refer to scenes in which I was the 
principal actor, or which came under my immediate 
notice. Being so intimately connected with self, it pre- 
sents an appearance of egotism that I most keenly feel, 
but cannot avoid; hence I hope those who may think it 
worth their while to trace me through our campaign 



90 Life and Adventures of 

will discard the idea of any intent on my part to lionize 
myself. With this half apology I shall dismiss that part 
of the subject. 

In a previous chapter I referred to Tampico as being 
the most sickly place in the world; but that is not all I 
have to complain of There is scarcely anything that 
can afflict humanity but what is found there. In the 
first place there are alligators of enormous size; they 
line the banks of every stream and bayou; land crabs 
are on every side and around you; lizards and swifts run 
before you in armies of thousands, and when you are 
seated they are running over you in all directions. They 
run over your food, your bed, and every other place; in 
fact, they are literally your bosom companions; while the 
mosquitoes and gnats are inhaled at every respiration; 
wood-ticks of several different kinds will attach themselves 
to your person, and serve you very badly; the jigger is a 
perfect bore, of which I ofttimes had the most painful 
evidence; and centipedes were our frequent bed-fellows, 
but they were small and their bite not fatal, though very 
painful; the tarantulas are there, not numerous, but very 
deadly in their sting; these and the scorpions are, of 
all the poisonous insects, the most dreaded by the natives. 
To protect us against the mosquitoes. Government issued 
single mosquito-bars to the men; each was furnished 
with four pins, one at each corner; the pins were stuck 
into the ground and sufficiently raised to allow a man 
to lie under it, and the flaps on both sides would lie on 
the ground; this did very well for mosquitoes, land crabs, 
and lizards, but it was no protection against gnats. 

After we had been stationed at Tampico about two 
months, I became very bilious, and was attacked with 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 91 

yellow jaundice. My doctor advised me to ride on 
horseback, and in compliance with these directions, I 
had been riding all around the outskirts of the city; but 
this was too limited, and it would not do to take the 
Altamira road, as several men had already been picked 
off by venturing too far from camp. On the north and 
east side of the city there was a dense chaparral; indeed, 
it was so thick that a bird or rabbit could scarcely pene- 
trate it, and ranged in height from three to fifty feet. 
Every bush was provided with sharp thorns; in fact, 
all the rank grass of that country has thorns on the end. 
In riding along the edge of the chaparral one day. I 
noticed a roadway or tunnel penetrating it. I ventured 
in, and rode for some time in a regular straight tunnel, 
cleared through the jungle; the work had the appearance 
of having been completed for a long time, as there were 
no stumps or roots below, nor any dry and withered 
branches above; once in a while I could see where a 
bush had lopped down sufficiently to obstruct the pas- 
sage, and had been cut away, but no other evidence of 
recent work was visible; but riding along, once in about 
every quarter of a mile I could see where there had been 
a narrow trail cleared out. which looked like a rabbit or 
coon trail, leading from the main artery. 

The first day I rode along the avenue in a most lovely 
soft twilight, entirely shut out from the sun, in one 
unbroken mass of chaparral or jungle, I should suppose 
about five miles; then I returned to camp and related 
my adventures, and we all speculated over the strange 
tunnel through the dense vegetable mass; but I had as 
yet formed no conception of its use, and my curiosity 
\yas at flood tide. I was resolved to further prospect 



92 Life and Adventures of 



my haunt the next day, for as yet I had met with no 
adventure, not having seen a Hving being on the route. 
Accordingly the next morning I started out; it was 
about five or six miles from the city to where I entered 
the chaparral, having to make a circuitous route around 
a small lake, or laguna, and wind my way through 
patches of chaparral and open ground, before I came to 
the dense mass. Thus the entrance to the hollow pass 
was concealed from the lake shore, and only discovered 
by chance in the first place; but having a good horse 
under me, I was soon at the entrance of the passage. I 
was not afraid of wild animals, although jaguars and 
Afnerican' tigers, very formidable animals, abounded in 
that region, especially the latter; but the brush was too 
thick to have any serious apprehensions of that, and m\' 
only fear was warlike men. I was satisfied that the 
slieht trails that I had seen the day before were made 
by men, as the beasts could never have cleared them 
out. I cautiously continued my ride that day, I should 
think about eight miles, when I came to where a sim- 
ilar road crossed the one I was in, at right angles. 

Not having seen anything larger than a lizard in all 
my ride, I turned my horse's head once more towards 
the camp. I had retraced my steps about four or five 
miles, when I came to one of those little paths closed by 
a dry bush, which nearly concealed it. I made up my 
mind to venture on an exploration of its mystery. Ac- 
cordingly I hitched my horse and removed the obstacle. 
Following the little trail, I had advanced about one hun- 
dred yards, when all of a sudden I emerged into an open 
space or clearing, and was surprised to see before me an 
adobe house, out-sheds, etc., and a field of about two 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 93 

acres under a high state of cultivation. There were 
nice corn, sweet, potatoes, beans, melons, etc. A large 
blood-hound was in sight, but he was chained; he barked, 
growled, and made a de'sperate effort to get at me; his 
noisy demonstrations brought a man out of the house, 
who was, as near as I could guess, about fifty years of 
age, and to all appearances much more intellectual and 
fairer than the general race of Mexicans. He was un- 
armed and seemed friendly; I asked him by motions 
and imperfect Spanish for a drink of water; he got a 
gourd, and, stepping to a well, drew the water with an 
earthen bucket, having a hole on each side, in which a 
rope was fixed as a bail. I noticed that fhe well was 
about twelve feet deep, and the water seemed purer than 
that which we generally got at Tampico. He main- 
tained a gentlemanly but dignified demeanor, and I 
could see that his astonishment was equal to my own. 
I returned to my horse and made my way home to 
camp, and again reported. 

After this I daily prosecuted my chaparral rides alone, 
as before, as none seemed to care for such adventures. 
I not only went over my old grounds, but followed up 
the newly discovered tunnel in an easterly direction until 
I came out into open ground at Altamira, fourteen 
miles from Tampico, and afterwards followed the other 
branch in an easterly direction until I came out at the 
pilot station at the mouth of the Tampico River, on the 
Gulf of Mexico; but it was much farther than to reach 
the same point by the regular Tampico road; however, 
it was so much cooler and pleasanter than riding in the 
hot sun that it became almost my daily resort while rid- 
ing for my health. I now began to prospect my foot- 



94 Life and Adventures of 

paths more thoroughly, and I found quite a numerous 
settlement a short distance back in the chaparral froir 
the main tunnel or road; but after prosecuting this 
source of amusement for some, time, I had occasion to 
cut it short. I had from time to time penetrated the 
small fqat-paths, and visited the strange people who 
seemed buried from the outer world. They seldom went 
beyond their small domains; this idea was strengthened 
by the fact that I never met one in the main tunnel, or 
hollow pass; each place had its rocks and fixtures for 
grinding up corn for tortillas, and all that a Mexican in 
his simple mode of life would covet, including oranges, 
bananas, and plantains. 

But, as I said, I had occasion to cut short my visits to 
these strange hermitages; it happened that one day I 
followed one of the little paths to an inclosure, and 
found the occupant with a long cane knife, the blade of 
which was about the length of an ordinary sword blade. 
He seemed to be hacking away at some chaparral that 
was invading his domain; and he had two ferocious 
blood-hounds with him. As he saw me approaching, he 
seemed much excited, and at a word from him the two 
dogs came bounding at me with their big red mouths 
open. I dared not retreat further than where the trail 
opened into the clearing, as they were too near upon 
me to allow of escape to my horse; I accordingly placed 
myself in the entrance ot- the trail, facing the enemy. 
I drew my revolver, and as the foremost one advanced 
to within about fifteen feet of me, I shot him. He fell 
and began yelping, turning round and round upon the 
ground; at this the other retreated a few paces. When 
the Mexican saw that I had fired, seeming to think 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 95 

that my piece was empty, he rushed at me with the big 
cane knife; and, encouraged by the manner of his master, 
the other dog came to the attack. I again fired, but 
missed. I cocked and fired the third shot, and wounded 
the second dog. The Mexican seemed surprised to see 
me keep shooting, apparently having no idea of my 
weapon. He halted, and I leveled my revolver on him, 
motioning him back with the other hand. He evidently 
had come to the conclusion that I could shoot as often 
as I pleased, and he beat a retreat, leaving his two com- 
rades slaughtered on the field of battle. 

Very willing to leave him master of the field, I 
mounted my horse at the main alley, and soon reached 
quarters at Tampico. I related my adventure of the 
day, and curiosity regarding these strange people ran so 
high that we made inquiries of the people of Tampico 
as to who or what they were, but they seemed ignorant 
of their very existence. About this time Capt. C. L. 
Wight, of Company A, concluded to accompany me on 
my chaparral ride; he said he would go out with me in 
the morning, as he had an appointment at the pilot sta- 
tion at two o'clock P. M. of that day, and that he must 
return in time to keep it. We started out and he pene- 
trated the chaparral with me for about six miles, when he 
drew rein and said, " Norton, this is wonderful, but for 
God's sake let us return! I don't believe that white 
man's horse's hoofs ever pressed this soil before; and you 
recollect my appointment at the pilot station." I begged 
him to give me just one-half hour more of his company, 
assuring him that he should be at the station in time, 
as the day was yet young. He consented, and before 
the half hour had elapsed I brought him out to the 



96 ' Life and Adventures of 

pilot station on one branch of my tunnel. You may 
imagine his surprise at this, as he expected that we 
would have to return to Tampico, where he would take 
the road to the station. The captain told the officers at 
the station of all the explorations I had made on my 
chaparral rides, with his own peculiar embellishments, 
until he quite lionized me and made me ashamed of 
myself. I am not unmindful of the fact that this recital 
savors strongly of fiction; but I have given the simple 
facts as they occurred, and am satisfied that this will 
meet the eyes of some who can vouch for its correctness. 

Information reached Tampico one evening that a 
noted guerrilla chief with his band had made a descent 
upon Tankesneca,a small trading-post some sixty or sev- 
enty miles in the interior, and were robbing the inhab- 
itants of that place. Our commander was resolved to / 
send out a detachment to quell them, and Company I 
was so fortunate as to be selected for that duty. All 
was hurry and bustle in our camp, as we were preparing 
to leave in the morning. The expedition was a leap in 
the dark, for all we knew. We had to ascend the Panuco 
River in large dug-outs, to the mouth of the Tamosee 
(by our geography called the River Lemon), and then 
follow up that stream. A lofty butte stood far in the 
west — a spire-like peak. I had often looked upon it in 
the blue distance as it reflected the last rays of the set- 
ting sun. It was pointed out as the terminus of our 
trip; we were, however, provided with a guide. I say 
we, for I left my quartermaster duties with my quarter- 
master-sergeant, and on a four-day leave of absence, as 
a volunteer, made one of the number. 

The officers consisted of Capt. A. Harvey, Lieut. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 97 

S. G. Conkling (now Major Conkling-), Lieut. Hugh 
Fullerton, and myself; although two or three other 
officers accompanied us, they took no command. 
Though Capt. A, Harvey was nominally in command, 
I don't believe. he was much counted on. as I received 
instructions to closely observe the route, and to make 
careful measurement of depth of water, calculation of 
distance, topography of country, and report on my return. 
Captain Harvey and Fullerton constituted one officers' 
mess, and Conkling and myself constituted another. We 
took rations for four days, believing we could make the 
trip in that time, and my leave of absence extended no 
longer." Conkling and myself took along one bottle of 
brandy, and Harvey and Fullerton supplied themselves 
with twelve bottles; and I may as well admit here that 
from some misunderstanding there wasn't the very best 
of feeling between the parties; we went in pairs. All 
was ready, and we were soon on board and sailing up 
the Panuco River, our propelling force being awkward 
Mexican paddles and setting poles. 

We ran up the Panuco to the mouth of the Tamosee 
in about three hours. The country on both sides of the 
river for two or three miles was low valley land, and 
extremely fertile, occupied by a mixed race of Mexi- 
cans and Indians. A great portion of the land was 
cultivated in sugar-cane. I was told they planted about 
once in seven years, and as fast as the cane was cut it 
sprouted up from the root and produced another crop. 
But, like Tampico and neighboring towns, it was very 
sickly. The alligators were lying all along the shores, 
basking in fehe sun. looking like so many old gray logs; 
rolling into the water with a splash at our approach, they 



98 Life and Adventures of 

would disappear, leaving but a whirling, bubbling eddy 
behind. The shores seemed to be entirely composed of 
vast deposits of mussel shells. On reaching the Tam- 
osee we foiyid a bar of these shells across the mouth of 
the river, having but about two and a half feet of water 
over it. 

The stream was running like a mill-race; it ran with 
such rapidity that we consumed the balance of the day 
in getting our canoes over the bar and into the deep 
water above. The shells were so yielding that we dis- 
placed many tons of them with our paddles in propell- 
ing the canoes up the swift current over the bar. I saw 
that the wheels of a steamboat constantly worked would 
soon, together with the action of the water, remove the 
obstruction to navigation, and so reported on my return; 
upon which report the authorities at Tampico acted, and 
the Red Wing, one of our steamboats, proved the cor- 
rectness of my views, and in about three weeks after- 
ward ran to Tankesneca. 

After all were safely over the bar, we made prepara- 
tions for camping, Conkling and myself occupying a 
small wall tent. While Captain Harvey and FuUerton, 
and their convivial crowd, camped at a short distance 
above us. They had a regular spree, and made the 
night hideous by their jubilant hurrahs and laughter. 
Next morning Captain Harvey's orderly came to our 
tent and wanted to know if we had any liquor; that the 
captain was very sick and wanted some. Conkling 
replied, "Tell Captain Harvey that he cannot get a drop 
here." 

Our hasty meal over, we were soon aboard and under- 
way. The stream was smooth, deep, and sluggish, 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 99 

although the water was sweet and generally pretty clear. 
There was on either side of the stream a wide and fer- 
tile valley, as on the Panuco. Back of the bottom-land 
the country became undulating; and with a gradual 
rise became hilly, and finally in the distance rose into 
lofty mountains. This is the Sierra Madre country, and 
close to the water it makes a picture that would baffle 
all description. No pen or pencil could portray its 
native beauty — one must see it to appreciate it. 

But I must attempt to give the reader some faint idea 
of what I saw. Along each shore there was a species 
of reed, the stocks from one to four inches through, 
some of them perhaps more, and growing to the height 
of seventy or eighty feet. Up these reeds ran flowering 
vines of all kinds and descriptions, to their very tops; 
and over these hung long festoons, the heft of which 
bent the tops of the reeds toward the stream. These 
vines were perennial, were clad in flowers of every color 
and hue, and appeared as though planted by art; once 
in every sixteen or twenty feet a squash vine could be 
seen running to the top, mingling with the other vines, 
and forming the festoons spoken of; about a foot 
apart were hanging little yellow squashes, some four 
inches in diameter, looking like so many golden bells, 
and wherever there happened to be a small space in the 
reeds, there would be almost lovely and picturesque bower, 
the recess being completely covered with vines. This 
canopy wholly sheltered us from the sun, and continued 
for many miles. 

Emerging from the scene just described, the face of 
the country considerably changed; the inhabitants were 
very few, the valley was narrow, and the wooded country 



100 Life and Adventures of 

came clear down to the stream. On the right bank was 
a dense forest of banyan trees, with trunks tied together; 
a limb would project twenty or thirty feet from the 
trunk, from the under side of which were pendants reach- 
ing down, all the way of a size until they reached the 
ground/ when they would catch the earth, take root, and. 
in their turn form trunks, throw out limbs, and then 
their pendants as before. And thus the forest was so 
completely tied together that the ax-men could only 
fell a tree by cutting it off at the base and then climbing 
up and cutting ligatures until it was severed from its sur- 
roundings. 

The forest on both sides of the river seemed alive with 
game; the armadillos sw-armed upon the shore, looking 
like pigs with shells on their backs; parrots of several 
kinds, and paroquets without number made the woods 
resound with their incessant chattering. Monkeys 
of three or four species could be seen capering in the 
trees and cutting all the antics peculiar to their nature; 
wild turkeys were in great abundance, to which our boys 
helped themselves without stint; wild hogs abounded, 
and were next in ferocity to the jaguar or tiger. 

There being no current along that portion of the 
river, the boys made a good run until about two o'clock 
in the afternoon, when we were informed that it was 
much farther by water than by land —the river making 
a large bend. It was therefore concluded that we 
would march across the country, and leave a sufficient 
guard to protect the canoes. On the trip around by 
water, Lieutenant Conkling took charge of the canoes, 
while I marched across the country w^ith the men. Har- 
vey got a horse and found himself able to ride. I took 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 101 

charge of the men, and commanded the march across 
the arid plain, with the sun pouring down its scorching 
rays upon us. I had been led to believe that a three 
hours' march would bring us to Tankesneca; but our 
men had not had any exercise on foot for four or five 
months, and some of them having been in the hospital 
and not having fully recovered their strength, this, with 
the intense heat, before an hour's march caused many 
of them to lag, the weaker falling to the rear. I then 
.changed the order and marched the rear in front, keep- 
ing the stronger back; but their canteens began to 
give out, and then came suffering from thirst, and no 
water on the plains. Finally, I found it impossible to 
push the men, and the last hour before sunset we did 
not make to exceed one mile; all the weaker men were 
exhausted to that degree that I was compelled to camp 
on the open plain without food or water. 

The next morning at day-break we renewed the march, 
and arrived at Tankesneca about seven o'clock, taking 
the people by surprise, and the guerrilla chief prisoner, 
together with some of his men; but I soon let the 
men go and held on to their leader. The canoes ran 
most of the night, and arrived soon after us. Captain 
Keneday, who was also of the quartermaster depart- 
ment, and a volunteer in the expedition, walked with 
me to the river, and while looking across at a great dis- 
tance I saw an animal; I called his attention to it, and 
remarked that it was a deer. He laughed at me and 
said it was a calf. I knew better; I could see that wild 
motion of the head, differing from all tame animals. He 
had his carbine in his hand, and I asked him to take a 
shot at it any way, but he declined to do so. I then 



102 Life and Adventures of 

asked the loan of his gun, and cocking, drew 'a sight 
about two feet above the animal's shoulders, and fired ; it 
disappeared, and I declared that I had killed it. Call- 
ing a couple of the men, I got a canoe, crossed the 
river, and made as straight to. the place as I could. 
After a short search, we found the animal — a fine, large 
buck — lying dead. I had made a chance shot, shooting 
him through the heart; and he had dropped in his tracks. 
We brought the deer in, dressed and cooked it, and the 
fresh meat was very acceptable. 

While the men were resting I had an opportunity of 
looking about me, and formed some idea of the place. 
My first discovery was that the Tamosee had entirely 
changed its character at that place. From a deep, slug- 
gish stream it was transformed into a rapid mountain 
torrent; a ledge of rocks was entirely across it, making 
a natural dam about six feet high, forming a splendid 
water-power. Around us was a large and fertile valley, 
and about two miles distant, like a vast tower, stood the 
butte, the famous landmark toward which we had been 
traveling for so long a time. There was a green, grassy 
slope all around it for about half a mile from the pin- 
nacle of rock. The slope where it joined the base of 
the column was probably five hundred feet above the 
level of the plain. Then the mighty giant rose so per- 
pendicularly that no one could ascend it; in fact, it was 
the most remarkable formation of the kind that I ever 
saw — similar in form to the granite columns at Slippery 
Ford, in the Sierra Nevada, only much higher and with 
greater uniformity of shape. 

Tankesneca was a collection of rude huts, occupied 
by a half-civilized mixed breed of Mexicans and In- 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 103 

dians, surrounding the trading-post of Darky & Co., of 
Tampico. The Indians were engaged in bringing down 
logwood, black ebony, and other valuable timber from 
the mountains. They would clear the sap from the 
sticks, and pack them on their backs to the river at this 
point, and from here they were transported in large 
dug-outs down the river to Tampico, the market. I also 
learned that the mountains abounded in Mexican cedar, 
and also contained some silver mines. The climate 
seemed delightful; it was just sufficiently elevated to be 
above the sand-flies, mosquitoes, and all other vermin 
that infested the low country. Neither yellow fever nor 
black vomito ever reached there, and all in all I think, 
by nature, it was the most delightful place I have ever 
visited. In fact I was so taken with the place, that I 
fully intended that in case I lived to see the war ended 
Tankesneca should be my home. I learned that Darky & 
Co. had a grant of seven leagues, including the best and 
greater portion of the valley, and the site of Tankesneca. 
I was further informed that the grant could be purchased 
for ten thousand dollars. I attempted, on my return to 
Illinois, at the close of the war, to get up a colony to 
settle at Tankesneca. But from the sparse settlements 
of the West and the great inducements there offered to 
settlers, I found my project a failure; and I dared not 
return alone. As near as I can remember the points of 
the compass now, it lies a little north of west of Tam- 
pico, and the butte referred to can always be seen from 
the latter place in fair weather. It is in the State of 
Tamaulipas, and near the Potosi line. 



104 Life and Adventures of 



CHAPTER XIII. 

MEMOIRS OF THE MEXICAX WAR — CONTINUED. 

AFTER having straii^htened matters at Tankesneca 
as well as was possible in the time we were permitted 
to remain there, we took to our dug-out at about two o'clock 
p. M. of the fourth day from Tampico, and commenced 
our descent of the river. A severe catastrophe now 
befell us: we had run out of rations, and the country 
was so sparsely settled along the river in that part that 
it was difficult foraging; but at night-fall we tied up at 
the bank of the river where there were a couple of small 
ranches, made friends with the inhabitants, and set the 
women to work making tortillas; with the scanty sup- 
ply they furnished by working all night, the next morn- 
ing we were enabled to advance on our homeward trip. 
No incident of note occurred the next day, and about 
an hour before sundown we again tied up for the night 
at a small ranch. This was the fifth day out from Tam- 
pico, and the next day at two o'clock r. M. Captain 
Keneday and m}'self were to receive five hundred wild 
mules, at Tampico, for the United States Government, 
and receipt for the same. No one there was authorized 
to do it. What was to be done ? We did not expect to 
be absent more than four days, and that w^as the extent 
of our leave of absence; it was impossible to reach Tam- 
pico in less than two days by the river. General Gates 
was of the regular army, a harsh, strict disciplinarian, 
and did not like the volunteers. On our part there was 
no love lost; we had asked no odds and expected no 
favors, and if we had we would have been disappointed. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 105 

as it seemed to give him infinite pleasure to make us 
toe the mark. A failure to comply with the duties 
before us would subject us to court-martial, and I had 
come to the conclusion to be in Tampico at two o'clock 
p. M. the next day or die in the attempt. I made this 
determination known to Captain Keneday; and told him 
I intended to procure a guide and horse and attempt to 
make the trip cross the country. Learning from the 
Mexicans where we landed that it was eighty miles by 
land to Tampico, Keneday remarked that I shouldn't go 
alone; that our liabilities were equal, and our dangers 
should be shared, I remonstrated against his risking 
his life on my wild venture, but he was firm in his pur- 
pose to go with me, and our arrangements were soon 
made. We provided ourselves with two revolvers each, 
with a carbine and a heavy service saber, and thus 
loaded with iron we jumped into a small Indian canoe, 
with a half-breed in each end, who in consideration of a 
fee agreed to land us at the next point, where we could 
procure horses and a guide. 

The canoe was a little toppling thing, and didn't seem 
capable of carrying over two persons, but our guides 
kept the balance, and a little after dark we arrived at 
what they called the Point. But we were doomed to a 
disappointment here, for there was nothing at the Point 
but squalid young ones and cross dogs. The children 
informed us that the folks had gone to the Rancho 
Ratonus, to a fandango. We inquired of our guides 
how large a place Ratonus was; they informed us that it 
was but small. We then directed them to lead on 
to Rancho Ratonus, which they said was two leagues. 
We told them that any attempt to betray us would cost 



106 LiP^E AND Adventures of 

them their lives, and they set forward on a dog-trot, 
through an open wood at first, then merging into a chap- 
arral route, similar to that discovered at Tampico. We 
continued our double-quick for nearly two hours over a 
level country, uninhabited and interspersed with open 
wood and chaparral alternately. We made a sudden 
turn to the right, and the Rancho Ratonus lay before 
us, with a fandango in full blast. There were from 
eighty to a hundred Mexicans and as many women 
whirling in the maze of the waltz. 

Our guides suddenly disappeared in the crowd, and 
without their pay. A great confusion ensued — a hurry- 
ing and screaming of the women, and men going and 
coming; the music ceased and in fifteen minutes there 
was not a woman there. It was " presto change;" 
instead of the jolly dance and music that greeted our 
first appearance on the scene, there was now only 
armed men, with dark brows and glaring eyes, and gest- 
ures that would indicate that our dooms were sealed, 
at least in the estimation of that crowd; and I began 
most seriously to concur in that opinion myself, for in 
every face I could read that of my executioner. We 
were now completely surrounded by nearly a hundred 
of as well-appointed, dark-visaged cut-throats as I ever 
saw, and all armed; some with escopets, some with 
swords, and others with long cane knives. Their declara- 
tion of war on us was so unequivocal that we made no 
secret of our intentions, each- drawing and cocking a 
revolver and facing in opposite directions — we were 
determined to sell our lives for the greatest possible 
number of dead Mexicans. The most superficial glance 
at the faces of the demons that surrounded us showed 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 107 

that no quarter could be looked for. The crowd was so 
thick around us that they could not shoot without kill- 
ing some of their own men. Should a rush be made 
upon us of course we would be overpowered. To pre- 
vent this we told them to keep back, and each with a 
cocked revolver in one hand and a carbine in the other, 
admonished them that the first who advanced would be 
likely to get hurt, let the issue be what it might. 

We remained in this unenviable position for fifteen 
or twenty minutes, when an idea crossed my brain 
which I must ever believe saved our lives. I said, Have 
you an alcalde here? They replied in the affirmative. 
I told them I wanted to speak with him. A little fat, 
greasy old Mexican came forward and announced him- 
self that functionary. I informed him that we were 
American officers; that our command had encamped 
at that river, and were to be at that place at ten o'clock 
in the morning, and that he would be held responsible 
for our safety; if any harm befell us there, that the 
entire place would be massacred; that we wanted horses 
and saddles and a guide to conduct us to Tampico, for 
which we would liberally pay. He retired into the 
crowd, and after a few moments I noticed that those 
human devils increased the distance between us by fall- 
ing back a little, which seemed to be a favorable omen. 

In a little time the alcalde again made his appear- 
ance (and no doubt he had been consulting our treach- 
erous guides as to the truth of my statements about 
the troops); he said they had the horses, but he did not 
think he could get the saddles. I replied that it was rather 
singular as large a place as Ratonus could not furnish 
three saddles. He said he would try and procure them, 



108 LiFK AND Adventures of 



and again left us. In something more than an hour the 
guide appeared with the alcalde. They brought a 
mustang for Keneda}*, an active, spirited, nervous beast; 
and for me, a very fine-appearing mule, large for a 
Mexican and very sleek and fat. As soon as I iiiounted. 
I saw that he was a slow, lazy animal, and I remarked 
to Keneday that we must look out, that there was more 
treachery to be feared. " They intend to separate us, 
and this last hour that they have kept us waiting is not 
for nothing." I then drew my saber, encased in the old 
steel-ringed scabbard, brought the flat of my weapon a 
few times across the rump of my mule and waked him 
up. We rode from Ratonus, and I kept repeating the 
operation with the mule until he was fairl}- aroused. 
Every time the scabbard would rino, the mule would 
jump for dear life. 

After we were fairly out of Ratonus we came to a 
halt and examined our guide; he was a young fellow, 
not more than twent}' )'ears of age, and, like many others 
of the inhabitants of those parts, a mixture of Mexican 
and Indian. We told him that any movement on his 
part engendering a suspicion that he intended to betray 
us. or any attempt to desert us, would most assuredly 
cost him his life; but if he took us through to Altamira 
all safe, we would give him five dollars extra. Through 
fear of punishment on the one hand and hope oi" gain 
on the other, the fellow seemed to identify himself with 
our cause. He then told us that the mule on which I 
was riding was very old, and he did not think it could 
stand it to go to Altamira in the wa}' that we expected 
to ride. W^e now understood our situation so far as our 
guide was concerned, but I could not divest my mind of 



Colon KL L. A. Norton. 109 

the suspicion that there was some treachery to be appre- 
hended; and I had the thinp;- put up in my own mind 
in this way: that the story of the men coming- tliere in 
the morning was fully believed by them, as they had 
undoubtedly consulted with our treacherous guide, who 
knew that the force of which I spoke was on the river 
bank encamped, and as to their further intentions of 
course these fellows were ignorant; hence they expected 
them there at ten o'clock the next morning, and it would 
not do to murder us in the little town, for fear of the 
punishment threatened. And to avoid this, and still 
accomplish their purposes, I believed that the last hour 
they kept us waiting for our horses was employed in 
preparing an ambuscade somewhere on our road. We 
hurried on, these thoughts occupying my mind, when 
the report of a gun was heard far in the rear; of course 
it was too far off to have been fired at us, and I at once 
made up my mind that it was fired as a signal, and 
remarked so to Keneday. We must then have been 
four or five miles on our journey from Ratonus, and we 
had advanced about a quarter of a mile after the report 
of the gun when Keneday remarked to me: — 

" Do you see that fellow ? " 

I replied that I saw something. Keneday said he had 
just rode behind a clump of brush to the left of the road. 
The old scabbard rang, and sword in hand I charged 
around the brush, and sure enough there was a man. 
As I came up to him he took off his hat, and in the 
cringing manner peculiar to his race, said, " Senor." I 
asked him in my best Mexican (which, no doubt, was 
bad enough) what he was doing there. He said he was 
hunting his horses. I remarked that twelve o'clock at 



110 Life and Adventures of 

night was a singular time to be hunting horses, and 
directed him to dismount, which he did. On examining 
him I found no arms excepting his sheath knife, and a 
very long lariat on his horse. I then examined his ani- 
mal as well as I could and came to the conclusion that 
it was a very good one, consequently I made a trade, 
and got the long lariat to boot. I mounted the horse 
and directed the prisoner to mount the mule; marched 
him out in the road, and directed the guide to ride ahead. 
Keneday rode next the guide, my prisoner next, and I 
brought up the rear. 

We rode in this order about half a mile, where 
a grove of small trees appeared on our left, when all 
of a sudden there was a general rush, rattling of arms, 
and excitement, close to wKere we were passing. The 
old scabbard rang, and my horse sprang forward; I gave 
the old mule a whack, as I came up to him ; he sprangaside, 
and away we went, but we presently got a volley by way 
of salute from the rear, followed by the clatter of horses' 
hoofs. We put our horses to the top of their speed for 
the next hour, having discharged our carbines in the 
rear at the first sound of hoofs behind us. We now 
reached a deep, sluggish stream, the ferryman, house, 
and boat all on the opposite bank. We hallooed and 
awoke the ferryman, who soon took us across in a dug- 
out, swimming our horses. When once across, we 
seized the canoe and, making the ferryman and guide 
assist, drew it out of the water, and up the bank so far 
from the water that a single man could not get it back 
in an hour. We then thought of tying the ferryman, 
but time was precious with us, and we concluded on the 
whole that it would do very well as it was. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. Ill 

We continued our trip for about two hours unmolested, 
when we came to another stream (or perhaps the same) 
with a ferry like the first. As in the first instance, we 
got across and secured the boat. We now rode on feel- 
ing very safe. There were no towns and but few 
inhabitants along the route we were pursuing, and 
presently the wolves began to howl as though they 
would howl a man off his horse. I knew then there 
were no Mexicans around, and those brindle devils, for 
once, made music to my ears. 

It was now about three o'clock in the morning, and at 
eight we reached Altamira without further incident 
worthy of note. We met our friend Major Jerolt just 
in time to take a nice breakfast with him. The major 
wanted to know where we had dropped from. We told 
him we had come from Rancho Ratonus, relating the 
whole adventure. The major exclaimed, " The Rancho 
Ratonus! Well, the devil surely protects his own! 
Why, that Rancho Ratonus is the worst guerrilla hole 
in all Mexico! It is not two weeks since I was forced 
to send out two companies of cavalry to quiet that same 
Rancho Ratonus. They were robbing and murdering 
their own inhabitants, and how you ever escaped with 
your lives is a miracle." Refreshed with a good break- 
fast and a cigar, we were again prepared for action. We 
discharged our guide, and paid him off with the five 
dollar bonus promised him. Major Jerolt furnished us 
a couple of fresh horses and we arrived at Tampico at 
one o'clock P. M., received and receipted for the mules, 
and thus ended one of the most dangerous adventures 
ever undertaken by me in Mexico. 

On my return from the exciting expedition narrated 



112 Life and Adventures of 

previously, I found that there were extensive prepara- 
tions going on for the great annual festival, or fandango, 
which was to be held at Tampico Viejo (or Pueblo Viejo). 
Crowds gathered from all parts of the States of Ta- 
maulipas and Vera Cruz at that once famous but now 
ruined city. Accordingly when the day came for the cele- 
bration, some forty or fifty of the officers of our command 
stationed at Tampico visited the scene of the festivities. 
This ancient town is situated about eight miles from 
Tampico, at the foot of Lake Tampico, and is reached 
from Tampico by boats or small crafts, up the outlet 
of the lake into the Tamaulipas (or Tampico) River. It 
is said, but I don't know with how much truth, that 
when Pueblo Viejo was a flourishing city large crafts 
could easily reach its docks. The story is at least proba- 
ble, for the only obstruction at the present day is a vast 
bar of the mussel shells which abound in that country. 
But at the present day there is a swift current running 
from the lake into the river, a distance of about four 
miles. The lake must lie ten or fifteen feet higher 
than the river, and the same distance above the Gulf of 
Mexico. 

The town of Pueblo Viejo is situated upon a narrow 
neck of land running between the gulf and Tampico 
Lake, with a large level country lying to the north, 
interspersed with lakes, rivers, and chaparral; while to 
the south and east it is protected from the coast by a 
point of land, rising several hundred feet above the level 
of the sea. The site of the town is from ten to fifty feet 
above the lake, commencing near the water and sloping 
back to the hills; but the acclivity is so gentle that it 
would hardly be noticed, and the whole town is situated in 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 113 

a cove resembling that of Cincinnati, only on a much 
larger scale; for everything there indicates that some 
day far back in the dim past, Pueblo Viejo was the great 
emporium of an intelligent and highly civilized people 
On every side lie the evidences of that civilization; 
ancient ruins of what at some day had been noble edi- 
fices, but the only evidence of the time when they 
flourished was the mass of trees and shrubbery that 
covered the ground where they once stood. I remember 
in one place a large oak stood with its massive trunk on 
one side of a wall that was its only rest; its roots ran 
through and descended on the other side some four or 
five feet to meet the ground — the tree was two and a 
half to three feet through. Next to the hill lies a 
massive pile, with heavy stone columns lying in every 
direction; I had no means of ascertaining the extent of 
the superstructure, but it was immense. I cannot pre- 
tend to describe the magnitude of this ruined city, as I 
never had sufficient time for investigation; and I do not 
presume to say that, like Pompeii, it was either swallowed 
up by an earthquake or entirely covered by the hand 
of time. Out of the ruins of that once famous city the 
present inhabitants have erected themselves dwellings; 
and Pueblo Viejo now contains about three thousand 
inhabitants, who wander over its evidences of former 
magnificence with about as much thought or inquiry as 
that other portion of the animal race which, with long ears 
and docile mien, crops the grass that springs up between 
the disjointed rocks strewn over the ground. 

There is one relic of the ancient greatness of Pueblo 
Viejo that seems to bid defiance to decay — that is the 
extensive baths; a stream of pure water is brought from 



114 Life and Adventures of 

the hills and emptied into a series of stone vats, twelve 
to fifteen feet wide and about thirty long. They num- 
ber about forty, and each is situated a little lower than 
the other, say six inches, and as the water fills the upper 
one, the masonry being a little the lowest next to the 
adjoining reservoir, or vat, with the two outer walls 
higher, it flows to the next, and so on till they are all 
filled, being six or seven feet deep. There is a rock 
terrace, or pavement, about twenty feet wide, running the 
whole length of these reservoirs and below the top of 
the water wall about three feet. Standing on this ter- 
race, or pavement, were frequently hundreds of Mexican 
women and girls, some washing their linen, but the 
major portion engaged with large brown earthenware 
vessels, holding from five to seven gallons, smaller at the 
base than at the center, bulging outward, then contract- 
ing to about eight inches across the top. These contained 
corn, soaked in alkali to start the hulls. They fill the 
vessel with water, set it on the pavement, and, putting 
both feet into the small opening, perform a regular tread- 
mill operation; they stamp away until the hulls are 
loosed from the corn, then set the vessel on the massive 
stone wall, about two and a half feet thick, making a 
solid base of operations, where they wash the corn; it is 
rubbed and put through a great number of washings, 
until it is cleansed and all hulls removed; then it is deemed 
ready to be manufactured into tortillas. This practice 
has continued upon the wall for such a length of time that 
there are holes worn into the solid granite rocks several 
inches deep, presenting the appearance of mortars. But 
I have indulged in describing the mouldering ruins of 
what was once a great city beyond my first intention, 
and I will now abandon them and come back to life. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 115 

I started in to tell of the great fandango, or festival, 
to come off at Pueblo Viejo. First, imagine a very 
large and smooth plaza, with two rows of booths around 
the outer edges, presenting everything in the shape of 
edibles and drinkables in the Mexican market, and the 
balance of the plaza covered by awnings of palmetto 
leaves, so as to shelter it from the sun by day and shield 
the lamps from the wind at night. Next, the music- 
stands were arranged at suitable distances, so to accom- 
modate the whole grounds, with the gambling tables. 
The music generally consisted of violins, guitars, and 
some other stringed instruments, but what they lacked in 
variety they made up in quantity. On this occasion I 
suppose there were not less than seven or eight thousand 
and perhaps more, men, women and children of all ages 
mingling together, seeming to have but one object in 
view, and that enjoyment. It was a pleasing spectacle 
to see thousands at once in the giddy whirl of the waltz, 
and such waltzing I never saw before. The Mexicans, 
both men and women, excel in the grace of that art. 
Some were dancing, some eating, some drinking, and 
some gaming; in the latter amusement, the padres took 
a prominent part. Monte cards and dice were the 
principal agents used; but there were dozens of differ- 
ent games that I never observed before nor since. Little 
bo\'s, five, six, and seven years old, would be seated on 
mats with the regular games of monte, playing where 
the stakes were stubs of cigars or some trifling trinket, 
while among the more aristocratic the old don would be 
risking several ounces on the turn of a card. But I 
have noticed that in all the playing ^hat I ever saw at 
monte, the "cabala" is the favorite card with the Mexi- 



116 Life anp AmKNrrRKs ok 

can. and lie seems to risk his money with more confi- 
dence on it than on an\- other card. 

The pohce regulations are conducted with a great deal 
of propriety and vigor. During this fandango, a noted 
robber chief found his wa\' into the crowd, but was rec- 
ognized by the pohce. I saw quite a rush and excite- 
ment of parties running to a certain point. Curiosity 
prompted me to follow, as well as several other officers. 
On arriving at the place I disco\-ered a regular sword 
combat between two expert swordsmen; they seemed to 
be about equal in strength and skill, and each evidently 
meant death to his antagonist. There did not seem to 
be any one inclined to interfere, and the contest was long 
and desperate; both had received several slight wounds; 
finally one made a desperate lunge at his opponent, 
which was skillfully parried by the other, and before the 
thrusting part)' could fairly recover, the other ran him 
through the bod\'. and in fact shoved the hilt of his 
sword ncarl)' to the breast of his foe, who fell, the blood 
spurting from his mouth and nostrils, and expired with- 
out uttering a word or even a moan. I then for the first 
time got an opportunit\' to take a fair look at the suc- 
cessful gladiator, and to my astonishment there stood 
before us as fine a native of Erin's green isle as ever 
crossed the briny ocean. Light bluee\'es, a rather florid 
complexion, light chestnut hair, sandy whiskers, with full 
red lips, and a certain undefiable air that is impossible to 
mistake in a regular Irish countenance. Some o\' our 
ofificers addressed him in English, of which he did not 
seem to understand a single word; but through an inter- 
preter we learned that he claimed to be a Mexican, was 
born in the countr\-, and looked upon his ancestors as 



CoLoxhi. L. A. Norton. 117 

Mcxfcans, without any knowledge of their ever havinr^ 
cinii^ratcd from any other country. Tie stood very hi^h 
in the police force, ati'l sec-ined to be very ])roud of his 
last achievement; from what we could ^atlier from the 
alcalde and other leadin;^ men of the place, they had 
lonf.( been tryinr^ to cajjlure the- slain man, he be-inr^^ one 
of the most des[jerate characters that had for a lon^ 
time visited the neighborhood. The fandan^^o closed in 
ei^ht days, and witii it 1 will close my description of 
J'ueblo Viejo; notwithstanding I know friend Conklin^^ 
could he see me, would ask why 1 neglected to tell about 
tlic castor-bean .stalk, or rather tree, beneath whose shade 
we lay; but my answer is, that we then agreed that it 
would not do to tell, and hence I leave it out among 
many other things that would be treated as absurdities 
fjy tlio->c- iniacquainled with that climate. 



CH A PTIiR XIV 

MKMOIRS ()\- 'iin-: .\TK>^ICAX WAR — CO.X'l 1 .\ i; J-.U. 

W\\ had all returned from Pueblo Viejrj. each one 
having his private adventures of the fandango 
treasured up to communicate to some of his favorite 
ccjmpanions-in-arms, which was calculated to swell the 
buflget of camp news, when it was announced that a 
great cock-fight was to come off the next evening, 
and that Colonel Derusa of the Louisiana regiment, and 
Lieutenant-Colonel Marks, who were both sporting men, 
had each procured a very fjne fowl, and that the birds 
were to be pitted against each other on that occasion. 
] walked into the cockpit in company with Captain 



lis I. IKK AN'P Am 1:N IKKKS ov 

Marvo)', and saw that the twt-) cocks rofcnctl to had been 
fittcil out with sharp stocl i^at'ts, aiul wore ah-ead\' far 
adxaiued in their ^leadly combat wlien we entered. I 
noticed that I'olonel DcMusa's bird was the hui^iM, and 
to all appearance tVesh conip<ned with tlu^ i>ther. anvl 
would undoubtedly Ih^ the \ictor in the t'udU; e\ ei\- 
time the\- came toi^ether and made .i p.iss at e.ich 
other, C\^lonel Marks' bird wouKl drop to the earth as 
thoui^h he were dead, and wouKl come to time badl\- anil 
drop ai;ain as thouL^h entirel\' exhausted. Captain 
1 lar\e\', who hatl been imluli^ini^- prett\- tVeel\', insistctl 
on bettiui;' mo a dollar on the result of" the flight. 1 
thouL^ht it winild be almost like stt^dini; his mc»ne\- to 
bet. as 1 lookctl upon Marks' bird as beiui; "a dead cock 
in the pit;" \et he insisted, auti as I had ne\er won a bet 
in m\- lite, I just thought 1 would w in one, ^o 1 told him 
1 would bet on Colonel Derusa's rooster. The flight 
went on (ov about fifteen minutes, Marks" bird tailing; 
and Ix'iui;" apparentl\' exhausted, waiting;" for the men 
haxinL^- charge o( him to set him on his pins before he 
w as ruled out oi' time. After man\- passes oi' this kind 
the\- came tOL;ether, aiui Marks' bird drove both his 
L^af'ts throui;h the head o\ his opponent, killing;- him on 
tlie spot. So I lost m\- small bet, aiul learned the lesson 
that it will not always do to bet aj^ainst dead thini^s. 

.\s I have commenced this chapter with an anecdote. 
I believe I will continue it b\- relating;- one or two that I 
have heretofore not noticed. When we had been in 
Tampic*-* about six weeks, an Irishman, a private in 
Compan\- A, _i;ot into a row with a ^lexican; an alterca- 
tion ensued, and the Irishman killetl the Mexican; was 
arrested, and imprisoned to await trial. Our judiciary 



Colonel L. A. NoktOxN. lll> 

was organized by adopting the laws of Louisiana; and it 
was farther determined that neither Mexican nor private 
soldier could sit on the jury for the trial of the Irishman, 
who had been indicted ffjr murder; hence commissioned 
officers of the army were the r)nly eligible jurors. The 
jury was impaneled and sworn, and the case proceeded, 
the judj^e-advocate for the people, anrl (jA. S. f/. flicks 
for the defendant. Witncs.ses were jjroduced for the 
[jeople, provinj:^ the killin;^^, and amon^ other testimr^ny, 
a Mexican swore that the jjrisoner s[>oke p^ood S[janish. 
The defense offered evicience tendin^^ to shfjw that the 
killing was in self-defense. 

After the testiinr^ny was in, the attorneys rriadf: tlujir 
arguments; and when Colonel Hicks came to the part of 
the Mexican's testimony where he testified that the pris- 
oner spoke good Spanish, Hick's remarked: "And they 
swear that he spoke good Spanish; I suppose that he 
talked Spanish about as well as one of my cavalrymen 
did who was out with me last year; the fellow's horse 
had escaped; .seeing a Mexican sawing woofl on the side 
of the street, he exclaimed: 'Halloo! kombre, did you 
see a bobtailed cahello vamosing do^NW the street, without 
any sarJdle on him?' * No intende' M do not unrler- 
stand;, was the response. The soldier indignantly re- 
plied: 'Confound you, can't you understand your own 
language ? ' — forgetting that he had used but three words 
of Spanish in the whole lingo." He then went on to 
show that the soldier came from Ireland about three 
years before, and had worked in the Galena lead mines 
until he volunteered to come to Mexico; that he was 
an uneducated man, and probably never saw a Mex- 
ican in his life before landing in Tampico, and at the 



120 Life and Adventures of 

date of the killino- had been in Mexico about six 
weeks. After deliberation, we came to the conclusion 
that the Mexican got killed in a drunken row, and as the 
United States Government was paying the soldier seven 
dollars a month to kill Mexicans, it would not be quite 
the right thing to hang the fellow for killing one of them, 
even in a drunken row, hence we returned a verdict of 
" not guilty." On the jury I made the acquaintance of 
a gentleman named Tracy; he was adjutant-general, at- 
tached to General Gates' staff; in fact we became very 
intimate, and of him I shall have more to say presently. 
I have heretofore remarked that General Gates was of 
the regular army, a great stickler for military discipline, 
and most cordially hated the volunteer service; conse- 
(|uently we did not entertain a great amount of love for 
him. As for myself, I procured a copy of the Regulations 
of the United States Army, and made myself thoroughly 
acquainted with my rights and obligations under them, 
fully intending to discharge every duty enjoined by them, 
and as fully determined to submit to no impositions on 
the part of others. While these feelings were yet being 
nursed by me, a favorable opportunity occurred to beard 
the old lion and show him that I wasn't the tamest of 
beasts myself. I was sitting in my quarters one day, 
when a detail was served on me; I did not" read it, sup- 
posing it was to act as officer of the day. I dressed 
myself to obey the detail, and walked down to meet the 
relief On my arrival I found Lieutenant Sampson — a 
second lieutenant — there to take his position as officer 
of the day. I turned to the adjutant, and asked him 
what it meant; he replied, "You are detailed as officer 
of the guard ! " I consigned both him and his detail to 



Colon KL L. A. Norton. 121 

the shades, turned upon my heel and returned to my 
quarters and wrote a note to Colonel Hicks that I had 
disobeyed his orders, but would be found at my quarters. 
They did not keep me long in suspense, for in about an 
hour an order was brought me by an orderly to appear 
before General Gates at four o'clock J'. M., to answer a 
charge of disol^cdicnce to a superior officer, and to con- 
sider myself under arrest until the matter was disposed 
of. I immediately divested myself of my sword, and 
attired in a common soldier's uniform, without any insig- 
nia of rank, prom[)tly at four o'clock was at the general's 
quarters; but none too prompt, as I found the general 
and my accusers all present and ready to proceed. The 
old general called out, "Where is the prisoner?" I 
stepped forward and saluted. He said, " Why do you 
appear in that garb? Where are your uniform and in- 
signia of rank?" 1 replied that I was under arrest on 
charges which, if sustained, would reduce me to this uni- 
form and rank. 

Ga'IKS — "What is yoin" present rank, sir?" 
" First lieutenant in the line, captain by virtue of quar- 
termaster's appointment." 

Gates — "Now, sir, what were your reasons for diso- 
beying the orders of your colonel ?" 

" If permitted I will give my reasons, sir." 
Gates (peremptorily) — " I want your reason, sir." 
I again replied that I would give my reasons if per- 
mitted. I had noticed that my friend Tracy .seemed 
very nervous and affrighted on my account, fidgeting in 
his seat and giving other demonstrations of uneasiness, 
and seeing the old general getting in a passion, remarked 
to him that perhaps I might have more than one reasorn. 
9 



122 Lii'K AND Adventures of 



Thereupon the old general growled, "Then give me 
your reasons, sir." 

I replied I was acting quartermaster of the command, 
and could not be compelled to do field duty. 

GknM'.ral — "How is this, Colonel Hicks?" The 
colonel replied that it was true, but that during the sickly 
season 1 had volunteered to do duty in J:he line. 

General (turning to me)—" That is no excuse, sir; so 
long as you volunteered to do line duty, you cannot escape 
it by throwing yourself behind the shield of a disbursing 
officer." 

At this point Tracy looked so badly scared that I 
really felt worse on his account than for m>' own fate, 
for I knew my defense and he did not. 

The general again growled out, " Have you an\' other 
defense ? " " Yes, sir. . I am in command of a company, 
and on no occasion has a company commander been 
called on to act as officer of the guard, and this detail is 
without precedent." 

Again he turned to Colonel Hicks and asked him as 
to the fact claimed by me. The colonel admitted that 
the present case was the only one, and that it was inad- 
vertently done. The old general was like an enraged 
tiger, and exclaimed, "Young man, this is no excuse; 
don't talk oi' precedents; your colonel has the right to 
make precedents." 

Tracy was more uneasy than ever, and absolutely 
looked like a condemned criminal awaiting execution. 

The old general roared out again, " Have you anything 
further to offer in defense ? " 

I quietly replied that I had, but had hoped the two 
reasons already given would have been satisfactory; that 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 123 



I had a perfect and complete defense for my conduct, 
and for the credit of our command I hoped that Colonel 
Hicks would withdraw the charge and let the matter 
drop where it was. 

At this the old general was more furious than ever, 
and said that it was not for Colonel Hicks to withdraw 
the charges; that he sat as a court of inrjuiry, that the 
whole matter was in his hands, and unless I clearly 
purged myself of the charge, I would be cashiered and 
reduced to the ranks. 

By this time f had become perfectly arou.sed, and re- 
torted by saying I was aware that I was standing before 
a tribunal that would only be too willing to convict, but 
I thanked God that there was some things that that 
court could not do with impunity; and I therefore offered 
as my last and perfect defense, that "I was detailed to 
act as officer of the guard while an officer inferior in 
rank was detailed Uj act as officer of the day." 

The old general turned full around upon (Jolonel 
Hicks, and exclaimed, " How is this, Colonel Hicks?" 

The colonel admitted the truth of the statement. 

"Oh, tut-tut! Colonel Hicks, that will never do, that 
will never do !" 

At the last defense I saw Tracy brighten up, and when 
the old general turned to me again, it was with a very 
different air. I fe said, " Young man, you are discharged; 
but you have run a fearful risk; it is very unsafe, sir, to 
take the law into your own hands. Vou had far better 
suffered the indignity than to have taken the chances 
that you have taken;" and then turning to Colonel Hicks 
he said, " I hope, colonel, that neither you nor I will 
ever be subjected to a like temptation." And 1 have 



124 Life and Adventures of 



reason to believe that I lost nothing in the estimation of 
the general on account of the course I pursued. 

The forces stationed at Tampico were the only ones 
on the part of the United States to hold in check the 
Mexicans in the Sierra Madre country. And now 
rumors began to be circulated that the Mexicans were 
beginning to organize at or near the ancient city of 
Panuco. Accordingly it was determined to send a scout- 
ing party through the country, up the Panuco River, 
to that point, and Company A, of our -regiment, was 
selected for that service. The company was commanded 
by Capt. C. L. Wight, who, though young, was a brave 
and discreet officer. I volunteered as quartermaster and 
assistant commissary of the command, and we com- 
menced our march without any camp or garrison equi- 
page or commissary stores further than what the knap- 
sacks and haversacks of the men furnished, trusting to 
the country to furnish rations; when the people were 
friendly we would pay for them, of course; when they 
were hostile, we would borrow from them, or pay in 
powder and bullets, as the necessity of the case de- 
manded. Twelve miles from Tampico, up the Panuco 
River, was what is known as the Lafler place. I think 
Lafler was an American; he had a very fine tract of 
land, large in dimensions and extraordinarily fertile. 
Upon this he had a very large coffee plantation. I think 
he had from six hundred to seven hundred acres in 
coffee — the first that I ever saw growing; it grows upon 
a shrub or bush ranging from eight to fifteen feet high; 
the leaves are dark green and the coffee grains grow two 
too-ether, and are covered with a hull or skin that is red, 
presenting the appearance of red berries. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 125 

We encamped at Lafler's that night. During the night 
a tiger attacked and killed an ox on the opposite side of 
the river, and his d^ep growls seemed to jar the earth 
where we were; it was unlike anything I ever heard be- 
fore; the next day we continued our march, passing 
for several miles through an unbroken forest of lime 
trees, the yellow limes lying so thick all over the ground 
that you could scrape them up by the bushel, and the 
forest extending in every direction as far as you could 
see. There were but very few inhabitants on this route, 
although there were plenty of evidences that at some 
former day the whole country had been well populated, 
for mouldering ruins and broken potteryware were to be 
seen on all sides. The water was very bad, being 
strongly impregnated with alkali, and was only rendered 
drinkable by squeezing lime juice into it. 

About an hour before sunset we arrived at the old city 
of Panuco. I was somewhat disappointed with the ap- 
pearance of the place, as I had heard and read of it as 
presenting so many evidences of former greatness. A 
brief examination showed me that the ruins in and 
about Panuco could not be compared with those of 
Pueblo Viejo, notwithstanding I had not heard any com- 
ment in regard to the latter. The ruins of Panuco 
seemed to be of more recent date than those of Pueblo 
Viejo; less extensive, and less architectural beauty dis- 
played in the construction of the buildings, less of heavy 
masonry and more of the adobe buildings. On our ap- 
proach we saw a few armed Mexicans, who kept at a 
respectful distance. We crossed the river to the main 
portion of the town, where we took possession of a pub- 
lic building that furnished us with ample and complete 



126 Life and Adventures of 

quarters. The alcalde was not long in putting in an 
appearance, and after demand, formally surrendered the 
town; which to the best of my recollection contained 
about three thousand inhabitants. 

We had now been long enough in Mexico to learn 
that we had to watch the treacherous Mexicans, as sev- 
eral of our men had been poisoned by provisions 
obtained from the markets in Tampico (though none of 
them fatally). So I bargained for a live beef and had 
it slaughtered by our own men; then set a lot of Mexi- 
can women to manufacturing tortillas y frijolcs Colorado 
negro, all of which was very acceptable and satisfactory 
to the command. Finding that there was no concentrated 
force, and nothing but roaming bands of robbers, as 
much to be dreaded by the Mexicans as by the Ameri- 
cans, we began to think of our return . But many of 
the men, and some of the officers, indeed, com laining 
that their feet were so sore that they could not march, 
we finally concluded to press into service a sufficient 
number of dug-outs to transport the force down the 
river. There was no lack of these at Panuco; accord- 
ingly we were soon floating down the river, all pleased 
at the change. 

As soldiers are not overly scrupulous, especially when 
in an enem\''s country, there was no lack of provisions. 
About one o'clock in the afternoon we tied up under the 
bank and sought a shade to take a lunch, but 1 soon saw 
that the bo3's were hunting wood, building fires, etc., and 
in about one hour there were added to the tortillas y 
frijolcs several roast fowls, in the disposition of which 
the officers were cordially invited to participate. When 
interrogated as to how they came into possession of them, 



CoLONKL L. A. Norton. 127 

they insinuated that the fowls made a night attack upon 
them, and it was not until after a long and deadly strug- 
gle that the enemy surrendered; and to the victors 
belonged the spoils. Of course the explanation was 
satisfactory, notwithstanding I could not help thinking 
there had been some "fowl" play. But all seemed in- 
clined to punish the enemy, and the consequence was, 
we left their bones to bleach on the shore of the Panuco. 
When the repast was over, we took to our boats and 
pulled leisurely down the river. 

Rounding a bend, below us something over a mile, in 
the center of the stream, like a dolphin resting upon the 
water, lay a beautiful schooner. Captain Wight had a 
small field-glass, and readily discovered that the vessel 
was an armed craft, as the glass showed the brass pieces 
on the side. This was something for which we had not 
bargained, but we kept steadily pulling towards her. 
Presently we could, with the naked eye, see great activ- 
ity on board of her, and before we had fully made up 
our minds what to do, we saw a puff of smoke, and a 
round shot came skipping over the water some distance 
on one side of us. At that moment up went the flag; 
a glance was sufficient to show us that it was our own 
stars and stripes. As it happened we had a little com- 
pany flag with us, which we waved in return, and pulled 
to the schooner. Wg all went aboard and received a 
hearty welcome. Everything about her was as neat as 
a pin. Her decks were as clean as a good housewife's 
table, and her guns shone like mirrors. 

After we were on board, and had exchanged greetings 
with the officers, came the explanation. We having 
been sent across the country, and not knowing what we 



1-2(S Life and Adventures of 

might encounter, it was thought advisable to send this 
vessel up to be on the lookout for us. We knew nothing 
of the vessel being sent out, and the captain of the craft 
was not expecting to see us on the river; hence the 
mutual surprise. We soon bade good-by to the schooner 
and pursired our way down the river; the vessel was 
whoU}^ becalmed, as there was not a breath of wind to 
fill or flap a sail. The sun slowly sank behind the Sierra 
Madrc Mountains, that rose in the background to the 
height of from 3,000 to 4,000 feet, not abruptly, but with 
a long slope of fine agricultural and grazing land be- 
tween their summits and the river; in fact, the whole 
range of the Sierra Madr6 on its eastern slope is well 
timbered, and upon its gradual incline one may find 
almost any variety of climate that he chooses; and did 
that territory belong to the United States, it would soon 
develop into one of the most delightful countries in the 
world, for nature has done a good part by it. 

We continued to descend the river, notwithstanding 
night was upon us; but it became necessary that we 
should reach some place that could feed us, as our dinner 
had exhausted our supplies. Thus we continued our 
voyage until about ten o'clock at night, when we reached 
the little town of Agua Cotta. 

This was a small town on the south bank of the 
Panuco River, I think about twenty-five miles from 
Tampico. There had not been the least caution used 
in landing, and no danger anticipated; the canoes were 
run into the bank just as it happened, and the men, ex- 
cepting a very few who were left in charge of the boats, 
had straggled up town in pursuit of supper — doubtless 
something to drink, also. However, I had made arrange- 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 129 

ments for supper, and the parties had ^one to work in 
^ood earnest to accommfKJatc the coirunand. It was 
progressing finely, when all at once 1 lif-anl a sjiot, then 
another and another; then a yell, and i)r(.tty ra])i(l firing 
in different [)arts of the town. 

I'hcre were fifteen or twenty of the boys near me 
awaiting supper, and several (jf the officers. Captain 
Wight cried out: " Jioys, defend the boats! " We made 
a grand rush for the boats; and none too soon, (or we 
were in rear of about fifty Mexicans, rushing on to the 
guards; the latter instantly formed and delivered a fire 
upon the advancing enemy. The volley was returned 
by them, with coiisidc-rable s])irit, althouf^h with littk; 
apparent effect on either side. It was night, though not 
very dark, and we could recognize their relative positions. 
As the foe was between us and our guard at the boats 
we could not fire without endangering cjur own men. 
We were compelled to make a ra[)id oblique march to 
the right, and then we delivered a volley in their Hank, 
for which they weie not ijr(.'])ared. We then ruslied on 
them with fixed bayonets and compelled them to retreat 
in disorder. Our boats now being safe we turned our 
attention to the desultory firing up town. We left the 
guard strengthened, and with about twenty men rushed 
back to relieve the stragglers, who seemed to have 
rather a hot time of it. 

As we advanced, the men continued to fall into posi- 
tion and we soon had our little command reduced to 
sr;mc-thing like order, and in possession of the eastern 
portion of the village. 'J he Mexicans continued a brisk 
fire, .secreted behind buildings and fences, but their 
weapons were the old clumsy escopet.s, from which there 



130 Life and Adventures of 

was but little danger unless by a chance shot. But they 
must be dislodged; there was no alternative but to sweep 
the streets; accordingly with fixed bayonets, we rushed 
up the streets, running them from their hiding-places, 
which compelled them to mass before us. On the west 
side of the town there was a considerable stream empty- 
ing into the Panuco. We charged them to the edge of 
this stream, where many of them threw down their arms, 
jumped into the water, and made for the opposite 
shore. We did not venture to follow them, but returned 
to our boats, abandoning our supper, and began to make 
preparations to leave. 

Our men were drawn up on the bank for roll-call, to 
ascertain the amount of damage and loss to our com- 
mand, when two men came scuffling down to the bank, 
or rather one of them was dragging the other after him. 
We were soon enlightened as to the cause. It was our 
green Irishman; the one who stuck his gun down the 
bore of the field-piece, in Tampico, to " keep the spal- 
peens from getting it." He had captured a prisoner, 
and was bringing him along to the boats. He explained 
that as he was trying to get a drink, the Mexican rushed 
on him with a big knife; and as he was about running 
the fellow through with his bayonet, he was interfered 
with by the priest; and to use Pat's own language, as 
nearly as possible, " his riverence rushed up and sthuck 
the crosh in my viry face; when instead of killing him, I 
took the spalpeen by the neck, and jist brought him wid 
me." He was directed to let the fellow go. 

On examination we found that we had not lost a man. 
Two were seriously wounded, and several slightly; we 
had captured thirty or forty stands of arms, several 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 131 

swords and other weapons. The arms, exceptinj^ the 
swords, were useless, hence we threw the guns into the 
river, put the swords on board, re-embarked our men, 
and were soon silently floating down the river. We 
dropped down some three or four miles, and seeing a 
small rancho of some half a dozen houses, tied up for the 
night, it then being about one o'clock. The men were 
exhausted, and after placing out a guard to prevent sur- 
prise, the camp was soon silent, save the deep breathing 
of the tired soldiers. The excitement of the evening 
had been such with me that, even at that late (or rather 
early) hour, I had no inclination to sleep. I fell in with 
a Mexican, who seemed to be a good-natured fellow, and 
was keeping his watch on the part of his countrymen, 
and who also seemed to possess more than the ordinary 
intelligence of his class. He informed me that there 
was a man living there who spoke my language, and 
that he owned a rancho close by the place. After de- 
termining in my own mind to see and converse with 
the individual referred to, I laid down and was soon in 
dreamland, far from the banks of the Panuc(5 and its 
wild surroundings. 

I was awakened the next morning by Capt. C. L. 
Wight. I found the morning sun shining full in my 
face. The captain informed me that he had taken the 
liberty of interfering with my duties as A. C. S., and had 
made such arrangements as be^t he could for breakfast 
for the men; for which I returned him my thanks, and as 
that duty was off my mind, I had resolved to visit the 
man who could speak our language; not so much for the 
gratification of meeting the man, as to obtain some in- 
formation reo-ardino- ancient ruins that, from "Norman's 



132 Life and Adventures of 

Travels," I knew must be in that immediate vicinity. I 
strolled across the fields, and soon made the acquaintance 
of the owner of the rancho, whose' name I learned to be 
Kier. He was a German; had a nice place, and though 
he informed me that he was a poor sailor boy when he 
came tliere, he was now quite wealthy. It was about 
breakfast time, and he cordially invited me to breakfast 
with him, which was quite to my notion, as the last time 
I had broken my fast was the day before at noon. 

After breakfast I returned to the command, and ob- 
tained permission from Captain Wight to retain a canoe 
and four men, and lay over at this point until the next 
day, as I had learned the ruins I was so anxious to visit 
were but a short distance down the river from us. Kier 
had agreed to accompan}- us as a guide. 

In the meantime the command had got under way 
for Tampico, and about ten o'clock in the forenoon we 
embarked in the canoe, and being provided with edibles 
by our kind host and guide, we descended the river for 
about two miles, to where there was another considerable 
river ei^pt\'ing its clear waters into the Panuco; here 
we landed. Mine host had brought with him two Mexi- 
can servants, and an immenseh' large amount o\ provis- 
ions for a single day. On my expressing surprise, he 
informed me that a da\-'s sport there would give me but 
a faint idea o( the place; and that he, presuming that 
m}' stay was only limited by my inclination, had pro- 
vided for our immediate necessities by bringing along 
such things as he thought we might need during our 
stay among the ruins. 

On my way down to the landing I gained something 
of my companion's early history. He was a German by 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 133 

birth; came to New York when very young; at sixteen 
commenced h'fe before the mast, as a common sailor. 
Left his ship at Vera Cruz; worked around the docks for 
some time, learned to speak Mexican, and at twenty 
years of age he landed at Tampico. He finally became 
acquainted with an old don, went up the Panuco, where 
I found him, and in due course of time married the old 
don's daughter, by whose death he got a living. He 
further informed me that upon commencing business for 
himself he had a great disgust for the Mexican mode of 
farming; he said they used a wooden shovel plow, which 
would merely root up the earth, without any pretense of 
turning a furrow; and the rest of the labor was performed 
with heavy, awkward, Mexican hoes. But he went East, 
procured steel plows and the most improved implements 
for working the soil; such as harrows, cultivators, etc., 
and was determined to show the " greasers " how to farm 
it. His plows did excellent work, turning up the virgin 
soil from depths that no Mexican system had ever 
reached, and his improved harrows were a source of 
amazement to the Mexicans. His cultivators had super- 
seded the clumsy hoe, and he could show such a corn- 
field as had never before been seen on the shores of the 
Panuco. " But," said he, ''what do you think; my corn 
became like young trees, from twenty to twenty-five feet 
high, and without any ears whatever, and my experi- 
ment cost me my entire crop." "Well," I said, "what 
did you do ? did you throw away your late improve- 
ments and return to the Mexican system?" "Oh, no!" 
he said, "the next season I did not plow the ground at 
all. I planted, after harrowing the field, using the cul- 
tivator to keep the weeds down, and took off a good 



134 Life and Adventures of 

crop; and I have continued to use the imported imple- 
ments ever since, using the precaution not to produce 
an overgrowth by turning the ground too deep. And 
in fact," said he, '* I have now used the ground so long 
by constant cropping that there is but little danger of 
too heavy-growth, and even manuring has been benefi- 
cial in some places." 

As stated, we had landed and were at the base of our 
operations. It was a pleasant day, and along the im- 
mediate shore, at the upper portion of the grounds we 
were to explore, there were a few acres of open ground 
studded with large mesquite trees, which made a very 
nice shade ; and the water of the nameless river was pure, 
sweet, and fitted for ordinary domestic uses. Hence 
we determined to make our camp at this point, and my 
four men in connection with the two Mexicans soon 
constructed a temporary encampment. Really, it was 
an attractive spot; the ground raised gently from the 
shore of the Panuco and sloped back to the south, where 
far in the background, terrace mounting upon terrace, 
rose the Sierra Madre Mountains to the probable height 
of two thousand feet; while to the north lay the flat and 
fertile valley between the Panuco and Tamosee Rivers. 
We took a hasty meal in our new quarters, as it was now 
past midday, and commenced our march inland and up 
the nameless stream. 

We had landed right among the mouldering ruins, 
which approached the very bank of the river. Here were 
piles of adobe walls yet maintaining their identity, and 
there broken columns of granite rock giving unmistakable 
evidence of the labors of men upon their surface, by the 
yet visible marks of the artisan's chisel, undefaced by 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 135 

the ravages of time, distinct outlines of what, at some 
distant day, had been magnificent statues, that might 
even command the admiration of the present period. 

We proceeded about four miles up the stream, covered 
here by a heavy mesquite forest and there by patches of 
chaparral, interspersed with open ground, carpeted with 
a heavy and uncropped growth of grass. This place 
seemed to be a favorite retreat for the feather tribes; 
parrots and paroquets swarmed in the trees. Several 
black pheasants sprang up before us, one of which Kier 
brought down with his fowling-piece; while snipe and 
beautiful plumaged cranes lined the shore and pools 
along the stream. There were a few monkeys chatter- 
ing in the trees, but they had ceased to be a novelty. 
We found the stream to be the outlet to a lake that lay 
between the Panuco River and the mountains. It was 
a lovely sheet of water, with a pebbly shore, shallow at 
the edge and gradually deepening until its blue waves 
entirely hid the bottom of the immense depth. The 
ruins extended all the way from the Panuco to the lake. 
The width of the lake at this point, as I observed, was 
about six miles, but I could not see its eastern extremity; 
and the question arose in my mind whether or not this 
was not an arm of Lake Tampico — which problem I 
never had an opportunity of solving. 

Everywhere covering the ground and mingling with 
the ruins were large masses of broken pottery ware; stat- 
uary of men, quadrupeds, and fowls, all broken and 
ruined, yet giving evidences of the skill and taste of the 
race who had some day peopled that lovely place. The 
statuary and figures seemed to have been attached to the 
buildings, standing out in bold relief, sustaining cornices 



136 Life and Adventures of 

and projections; although this is n(jt universal, as in some 
instances the rock has been chiseled away, leaving human 
and other forms in bass-relief upon columns that some 
day had undoubtedly sustained magnificent structures. 
But what was more remarkable, the countenances of the 
faces on. the columns and statuary were wholly unlike 
the present race inhabiting Mexico, or the Indian tribes 
of that country, but were rather of a Grecian type. 

It was difficult to say whether the ruined city was 
confined to the river as a port, or whether its commercial 
advantages also connected it with the lake; there was 
one thing very evident, that there had been many mass- 
ive and elegant buildings on the lake shore, and I think 
they compared favorably with the ruins on the river. 

Night was now closing in on us, and we returned to 
the river, where we had established our base of operations. 
After supper, I seated myself on a fallen column of gran- 
ite and sank into profound meditation, It was hard to 
realize that, where I sat at the time, more than a thou- 
sand years ago a mighty city, which now lay in ruins at 
my feet, had teemed with commerce, life, and action; its 
busy streets had one day swarmed with thousands of 
human beings, whose impulses and feelings probably 
differed but little from our own. There, had mingled 
the man of business, the devotee, the pleasure-seeker, 
the layman and the clergy; men of wealth and station, 
with rank and power; and vice and squalid misery had 
alike swarmed in the thoroughfares of this once mighty 
emporium. But who were they? where did they come 
from, and whither did they go? What great devastating 
power or destructive calamity had overtaken them ? 
Were these the works of the Toltecas nation, who in- 



Colon EI. T.. A. Norton. 137 

vadcd Mexico, coming- from the Rocky Mountains in 
648 ? or were they the conquerors of this city, and in 
their turn exterminated by the Chickemecas, four hundred 
years afterwards, I would have c^iven much could I, 
that night, have called forth the i^host of one of those 
unknown departed, that I might have interviewed him 
upon the character and fate of the now dead city. 1 low 
singular is the human disposition! We Americans, with 
the nations of Europe, flock to the old world, and there 
exhaust the brightest intellects and spend untold mill- 
ions of dollars in hunting for the last records and hidden 
treasures of a Tyre and a Troy; to relocate the lost site 
of a Babylon; to hunt for hidden manuscripts in the cata- 
combs, and excavate the lava-covered plains for a buried 
Pompeii or llerculaneum, or hunt hieroglyphics among 
the pyramids of l^gypt; when upon our own continent lies, 
unexplored and unnoticed, the richest fields in the world 
for the antiquarian. But I must not dwell longer upon 
my reflections or midnight speculations. I turned in 
and was soon lost to all external objects. 

The next morning we took a trail through a patch of 
chaparral ; all the way the path was rendered uneven 
and rough by leading over mounds, formed by fallen 
walls, and blocks of stone of various shapes and sizes, 
until we reached that part of the ruins particularly 
referred to by ". Normin's Travels and l^'.x[)lorati(;ns in 
Mexico," where we found the large tortoise mentioned by 
him. It rests upon a pedestal, and is about four feet 
across the base. It is still perfect, excepting the nose, 
which is partly broken off It is a well-wrought piece 
of sculpture, and is a perfect tortoise, shell, legs, and tail, 
but the head that protrudes from the shell is that of a 
man. 10 



138 Life and Adventures of 



My attention was called to a place where there had 
been an excavation; and about two feet below the sur- 
face of the ground there was, beyond any doubt, a paved 
street, as regularly flagged as the streets are at the pres- 
ent day. With the short time that I had to spend, and 
the limited means for prosecuting, my researches, I, of 
course, formed but a vague idea of the interests that 
labor must develop to the scientific world. Ikit what 
struck me with more force than all the rest was the ex- 
tent of territory covered with buildings, and the archi- 
tectural skill used in beautifying them. It was here 
Captain Chase, American Minister to Tampico, procured 
the statue of a man about which there was so much 
speculation and comment by the press in 1847. It was 
the statue of a man, apparently cut from solid rock, as 
no evidence whatever appeared indicating that it was 
composite. It was so ingeniously finished and arranged 
that water poured into the mouth would escape at the 
extremities. 

After spending a couple of days among the ruins, I 
bade farewell to my friend and guide, and in a few hours 
after reported myself safe and sound in tampico. 



CHAPTER XV. 

MEMOIRS OF THE MEXICAN WAR — CONTINUED. 

IT had long been re[)orted that there was a ravenous 
tiger wliich had his lair on the peninsula between 
Lake Tampico and the Gulf of Mexico, ending on the 
Tampico River, and that he was in the habit of making 
nocturnal descents upon the stock of the ranchers located 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 139 

oil the borders of the lake. He had become a terror to 
the inhabitants of that community, and for want of some- 
thing better to do I concluded that a tiger hunt would 
be a pleasant adventure. I got six adventurous spirits 
to join me in the expedition, and we asked and obtained 
leave of Colonel Hicks to make a descent upon this 
renowned denizen of the chaparral. I was the only 
officer, and was dressed like the rest, in the uniform of 
a private. We provided ourselves with canteens, haver- 
sacks, short Roman swords, muskets, and bayonets? 
r^ach took a lunch in his haversack, and water in his 
canteen. All were ready for a start at about eight 
o'clock in the morning, and we crossed the river and 
traveled on to where the land commenced to rise abruptly 
to a plateau, say two hundred feet above the level of the 
plain. At the base of this rise we found a nice cold 
spring, from which we replenished our canteens. Then 
ascending the plateau, we proceeded in an easterly 
direction, across an open country, and .soon came to a 
ruined hacienda, an orange orchard long neglected, and 
a forest of cactus. The latter was the most extraordinary 
I ever saw, covering an area of some ten acres; the trees 
were some thirty to forty feet in height, and as dense as 
a hay-stack. (I would not dare tell this in a cold climate!) 
We made our way around it (an army of ten thousand 
men would have had to do the same), and passed through 
alternate patches of open ground and chaparral, with 
here and there a few me.squitc trees, making our way 
towards the coast. lUit the further we went, the more 
chaparral and less open ground, until in many places we 
had to pass over the tops of large masses of chaparral, 
it being so dense that we could sustain ourselves, though 



140 Life and Adventures of 



with difficulty, upon the top; the loftiest branches we 
would lop with our swords. But our progress was very 
slow, the heat becoming intense, and there was consider- 
able grumbling by some of the men, although I took the 
lead, and consequently the brunt of the battle. We had 
now got so far that we could not suppose it would be so 
bad to go through to the gulf as to return. But it proved 
to be a great misfortune to us that we could not compre- 
hend the future as well as the past. 

As I could see the tops of some mesquite trees in 
advance of us, I called out, to encourage the boys, that 
there was open ground ahead. We continued our toil- 
some march, ever and anon losing our footing and fall- 
ing down among the thorny mass eight or ten feet, the 
thorns tearing our flesh and clothes; but we would again 
scramble up and push ahead for the timber. At last we 
reached it, and finding open ground, congratulated our- 
selves on having at last overcome the principal obstacles 
in the way, and hoped to soon reach the coast, as we 
could hear the surf beating on the shore very distinctly. 
We were all perfectly exhausted and suffering with thirst, 
and sat for a few minutes in the shade while we ate a 
little lunch; it was but little, as we were all too thirsty 
to eat much. At three o'clock in the afternoon we 
again commenced our march for the gulf; but we had 
not proceeded more than half a mile before we discov- 
ered that the open ground was but an island in a dense 
sea of chaparral, and nothing but death or the most des- 
perate exertion was before us, as we must reach water 
or die. 

My feelings were anything but pleasant. Not so 
much for myself did I care, as for the poor fellows that 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 14i 



I had induced to engage in this hair-brained adventure; 
nothing was left for me but to clamber to the top of the 
chaparral that surrounded us, and encourage the men as 
best I could, although probably suffering more than any 
of them, as I had taken the lead and lopped the brush 
all day. We again commenced our novel tramp, and 
traveled and continued to travel, the men begging to be 
allowed to tlirow away their muskets and bayonets; to 
this I positively objected on two grounds: first, that' we 
could not tell what use we might have for them before 
again reaching camp; and secondly, when we slipped 
and fell into the chaparral, the muskets, by holding them 
in a horizontal position, would catch and hold us up. 
When my remonstrances were about to fail, and the last 
hope seemed to vanish, we struck wavesof sand beneath 
us, where the shore of the gulf some day had been, but 
had receded. From this all took courage, and we 
persevered. Although we were marching on the top of 
the chaparral, so many of the branches ran above our 
heads that we could not see more than fourteen or fifteen 
rods ahead of us, unless the object was higher than we 
were; hence we could only judge by the sound of swells 
breaking upon the shore how near we were to the water. 
Thus we toiled until the sun was down, and until twilight 
was fast fading. 

At last the shore burst upon our view. More dead 
than alive, we threw ourselves down upon the beach, and 
dug holes in the sand, hoping to get water that would to 
some extent alleviate the thirst that was consuming us. 
But this was to no purpose; the briny wave of the Gulf 
of Mexico was a poor substitute for water. In that con- 
dition we lay for about one hour. The damp atmos- 



142 Life and Adventures of 

phere and cool of night had by that time somewhat 
revived us, and we started down to the beach to reach 
the pilot station at the mouth of Tampico River. We 
came to a little hamlet of Mexicans on the opposite 
side of the Tampico River between ten and eleven 
o'clock at night, and at once called for water. The 
scoundrels asserted at first that they had none, and sec- 
ondly, that they did not have the keys of the house 
where it was kept. I just seized upon the person of 
their principal liar, and told him to show us the door 
that led to the water or I would cut his lying tongue 
from his head. He then soon found his way to the 
place; it was locked, but the boys soon made the door 
ring with repeated blows with the breeches of their 
muskets, which induced the waterman to put in his ap- 
pearance with the keys, and we all drank without stint- 
Then we wanted them to take us over to the pilot sta- 
tion ; this they absolutely refused to do, not even for 
money. I told them that we would then take their 
boats forcibly, there being two canoes, when they rushed 
to defend them. I ordered the men to fix bayonets; 
I threw them in line, and charging upon the largest 
canoe, took possession and was preparing to break the 
lock or chain, when they signified a willingness to take 
us over for one dollar each. I paid the seven dollars, 
and we were all safely landed at the pilot station. 

I noticed on arriving at the station that our coming 
was an enigma to the parties occupying it, and that 
there was something wrong generally at that place. 
There were four Americans at the station, while all their 
assistants, servants, etc., were Mexicans. This was at a 
time when many rumors were afloat, and it was generally 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 143 



believed that the Mexicans had made some successful 
fights, and claimed important victories over the Ameri- 
cans. The consequence was that it emboldened the 
Mexican guerrillas and robbers in that section to make 
some few attacks for purposes of plunder, and I soon 
discovered from the quiet conversation at the station, 
and preparations for defense, that they were expecting 
an attack that night. I further came to the conclusion 
that while the men were glad to see us come into the 
station at that opportune moment, they thought that 
there was no head to the affair; that we were but a 
straggling squad, unofficered, and, consequently, did not 
confide the condition of things for fear we might leave 
them to their fate. In a few moments I comprehended 
all this, and more; they had several blood-hounds that 
kept rushing towards the edge of the chaparral, and 
growling and barking in such a way that it left no ques- 
tion in my mind but that our arrival for the protection 
of the station was very opportune. I maintained all 
the reticence on my part that was evinced by those in 
charge of the station; but I ordered our men to stack 
arms in the center of the floor, and placed a guard over 
them, while the men lay all around in such a manner 
that they could seize them at a moment's notice. Those 
in charge of the station sat up all night. I laid down, 
but could sleep very little. 

The next morning I remarked to Captain (I for- 
get his name), who was in charge, that they had had 
quite a night of suspense. He remarked that they had, 
and a night of danger, too; but for our timely arrival 
they might all have had their throats cut; but as there 
was no officer with us they did not tell us of the danger, 



144 Life and Adventures of 



for fear \vc mi<^ht leave tlieiii to fii^ht their own battle. 
I then disclosed my rank, and told our adventure; they 
blamed me for not letting them know I was an officer, 
but I assured them that by my comprehending the diffi- 
culty as I did, and the arrangements made, they w^ould 
have had all the assistance that they could have ex- 
pected from seven men. In due time they got us up a 
good breakfast, and as this was but seven miles from 
Tampico, with a good road, we were in camp before 
noon, not once having thought of the tiger, from the 
time we commenced scaling the chaparral until after we 
had reached camp. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

MEMOIRS OF THE MEXICAN WAR— CONTINUED. 

IT was now advancing toward the rainy season, and it 
became necessary, for the protection of the troops, 
that we should furnish better shelter than our canvas 
tents, from the storms that were likely to ensue. 
Accordingly it devolved upon me, as quartermaster of 
the command, to provide quarters suitable for the rainy 
season. After consultation and advice, I erected sheds 
covered with palm leaves, under which we could pitch 
our tents, and be dry and comparatively comfortable. 
This kept me employed for some time, but rumors 
began to reach us that there was a large force organizing 
at Tampico el Alto, numbering five thousand or more, and 
meditating a descent on Tampico. Our effective force 
being now reduced to less than two thousand men, an 
express messenger was dispatched to Washington to 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 145 

report the condition of affairs at Tampico, and to solicit 
reinforcements for that place. Every day brought fresh 
rumors of the forces gathering at Tampico el Alto, until 
it was determined by the commanding officer at Tam- 
pico, as a precaution against danger and surprise, to 
send out a detachment in the direction of Tampico el 
Alto to watch the movements of the enemy. For the 
purpose of carrying out this plan Company I, of our 
regiment, was detailed, and ordered to repair to Pueblo 
Viejo, to watch the movements of the Mexicans. We 
were ordered to make our headquarters at Pueblo Viejo 
and send out a scout in the direction of Tampico el Alto 
to prevent our being surprised and captured. 

This was in the fall of 1847; the murky clouds were 
gathering, and for the first time since landing in Tampico, 
in July, the sun was obscured. Company I broke camp, 
and we all embarked on board of such small boats and 
crafts as were at our command, and commenced our 
expedition. In three or four hours we landed at Pueblo 
Viejo, found quarters for the men, and made such neces- 
sary arrangements for the comfort of the command as 
was thought advisable for the short sojourn we were to 
make at that place. Captain Harvey was nominally in 
command of the company, but as soon as we had landed 
he called upon the alcalde, was a willing recipient of his 
bounties, and engaged in imbibing copious libations of 
mil seal ^.nd agnardienta; owing to his immense capacity, 
he was carrying the load of two ordinary men, and the 
command devolved first upon myself and second upon 
Lieutenant Conkling. 

Night was approaching; there had been a smart 
shower of rain in the afternoon, making the ground 



146 Life and Adventures of 

quite wet and the streets slippery. Conklinf^ and my- 
self had made our arrangements thus: We were to 
establish a local guard in the town, I was to take com- 
mand of a small scouting party, and under cover of 
night, advance on the road to Tampico el Alto, while 
Conkliog held command of the balance of the com- 
pany. The local guard was stationed; among them was 
a boy by the name of Spalding Lewis; he was a tall lad 
of sixteen, and was determined to go to Mexico with 
us from St. Charles. His mother was a widow, and I 
think Conkling, as well as myself, promised the mother 
that we would, as far as possible, protect and guard her 
son from all harm. Well, when Spalding was placed 
on guard, I directed him to challenge all who approached 
him, and stop them. But, said he, if they will not stop, 
what then? I replied, you know your duty, stop them. 

The guard had been stationed half an hour. I had 
my scouting party all in line, when I heard the report of 
a musket. I ordered the scouting party on a double- 
quick, and we soon reached the spot from whence the 
report proceeded. There I saw Lewis deliberately ram- 
ming home his cartridge. I said, " Spal., what are you 
shooting at?" He quietly pointed down the street, 
remarking, " That fellow came up; I challenged twice, 
when he started to run, and I slapped it to him." I 
looked in the direction, and saw a Mexican lying on his 
face, making some feeble attempts to raise himself I 
approached him, and found that he was shot through 
the heart, and in less than two minutes he was quite 
dead. I handed him over to the alcalde, assuring him 
that unless he took more pains and kept his men within 
their proper limits, more of them would share a like 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 147 

fate. The victim was soon recognized by the poHce, and 
the alcalde said it was no loss, as the fellow was a noto- 
rious thief and cut-throat. 

On our return to camp, I found Captain Harvey, who 
immediately assumed command of the company, and 
wanted to know what I was going to do with so many 
men. I informed him that I was about complying with 
the orders of General Gates, by throwing a scouting 
party out on the road to Tampico el Alto. I had intended 
to take thirty men, but he blustered around, and said he 
could not spare so many men from the command, as it 
wouH endanger its safety. But the gallant captain had 
forgotten that I was placing myself between him and 
all danger. After considerable wrangling, it was agreed 
that I might take twenty, and I was to select my men. 
(But my young blood was up, and I cursed him, and 
called him a drunken coward.) 

I selected Sergeant Efner to take charge of the men, 
and took Lesser Lebenstein, my interpreter; the alcalde 
furnished me with what he claimed to be a trusty guide. 
The information we had received regarding the enemy 
was that they numbered about five thousand, and were 
comprised of Mexicans and Indians. But whether the 
force was reduced to anything like discipline or not we 
had no means of knowing. I had supposed them to be 
a kind of wild and roving band, assembled for maraud- 
ing purposes, rather than an organized force to be 
dreaded by a well drilled and disciplined command. 

Night had set in, and it was intensely dark, owing to 
the cloudy and misty weather; and about half-past eight 
we took up our line of march, following the main road, 
leading up the mountains toward Tampico el Alto. Not 



148 Life and Adventures of 

a sound was to be heard, save the tramp of the men 
and an occasional low curse or growl at the steep and 
slippery condition of the roads. In this way we had 
continued an unbroken march for about an hour and a 
half, when I called a halt to allow the men a short rest. 
They had scarcely come to a stand, when I heard an 
unusually heavy peal of a bell in the distance, that told 
the hour of ten. It then, for the first time, crossed my 
brain thatTampico el Alto might be something more than 
a collection of huts. I called the guide, and through 
my interpreter, interrogated him as to the size of the 
town of Tampico el Alto. He informed me that it was a 
large place; and when asked how many inhabitants it 
contained, he replied, over four thousand. The thought 
flashed through my mind that there was a chance for 
me either to distinguish or extinguish myself and the 
twenty brave companions that were with me. But I 
hesitated. My life was my own, and if I saw fit to 
barter it for that bubble called fame, the trade was mine, 
and none could complain. But the other twenty; had I 
aright to hazard them on a desperate venture? that was 
the question. My order was to throw out a scout in the 
direction of Tampico el Alto, to prevent our little com- 
mand being surprised. Surely my orders would not 
justify the rash scheme that I was contemplating, to wit, 
the assault upon, and capture of Tampico el Alto, under 
cover of this dense darkness, with my little force of 
twenty men. I gave my orders for a forward march 
and began maturing a mode of attack on the place, and 
calculating my chances of success. It ran something 
like this: The soldiers are probably camped out of the 
town, and are controlled by the civil authorities of the 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 149 



place. Now, could I succeed in catching the principal 
officers of the place, or get possession of the stronghold 
during any temporary panic that would be created by a 
sudden dash upon the town, I might hold the place until 
remforced, or hold their leading men as hostages for our 
safe return, and if successful we could solve the great 
mystery, Had the Sie^-ra Madre country anythincr to 
fear from the long-talked-of force gathering at Tampico 
el Alto? While these plans were being revolved in my 
mmd, we reach the apex of the hill, and Tampico el Alto 
with a long string of lights, burst upon our vision. 

On the southern slope of the mountains, and within 
one mile of us, lay the information wanted; and for one 
I thought the bait too tempting to be denied. I ordered 
a halt, called the command around me, and told them 
there was a great mystery hanging over the command 
at Tampico as to whether or not there was an organized 
enemy at Tampico el Alto, and if so, as to their real num- 
bers and probability of an attack upon our forces- what 
should we do? Before us lay the long lines of liglit 
showing to a certain extent the size of the town" I 
asked the men what their feelings were on the subject' 
should we make the attempt to dispel the mystery? 
when with one accord they said, '' Lead on, and we will 
follow wherever you think best to go ! " I then called my 
guide, and from him I learned that there were two 
alcaldes and many priests in town. I directed him to 
lead me to the principal alcalde, and we commenced a 
rapid march for the city. As we entered the suburbs I 
ordered a double-quick, and we went thundering down 
the rough-paved streets like a command of cavalry. 
After marching for some distance down the street 



150 Life and Adventures of 

the guide pointed out a large building as the residence 
of the principal alcalde. As we were rapidly approach- 
ing it, I saw something white flit across the street 
before us, and, on approaching the house, we were 
informed, on inquiring, that his highness had just 
stepped out. Thinking he had slipped through our fin- 
gers, I directed the guide to lead us to the principal 
priest. He at first resisted, but I admonished him of 
danger more near than priest's curses, when he led off. 
We caught his holiness just as he was retiring, and 
informed him that he was wanted — that we were Ameri- 
cans. He seemed to be very much affrighted at the 
name Americanos. I informed him that we wanted 
quarters for the night, and must have possession of the 
strongest buildings at his command. If he hesitated or 
declined, we would worship with him at his own church 
altar. In his terror he was ready to do anything; he 
seized a large bundle of keys, and I directed Efner to 
bring up the men. (He had drawn them up alongside 
of a high wall, and in the darkness of the night it was 
impossible to judge of their numbers.) 

I trudged along with tho priest up to the public square 
or plaza, where there was a large building, inclosed by 
double walls. We entered the gates, and in a short time 
his holiness had opened rooms sufficient to quarter at 
least five hundred soldiers. When I informed him that 
the room already at our command was sufficient for our 
troops, and seeing that we had a position where we could, 
for a time, resist Santa Anna and all his forces, I 
released the padre, and threw myself down to attempt 
to get a little rest. Before retiring, however, sentinels 
had been placed at both outer and inner gates, thus 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 151 



guarding ourselves from danger by assault; and knowing 
that they could not have the least idea of my numbers, 
they would naturally wish for a parley, and that would 
enable me to ascertain what I wished to find out, to wit, 
the amount of the enemy's force, if any, stationed there; 
for as yet wc had not seen even a sentinel. 

In less than an hour there was a challenge at the outer 
gate; I hastened to ascertain the cause, and found a 
delegation from the alcaldes, saying that they wished to 
see the commandant. I well knew that it was no time 
to show the white feather. I thrust a revolver in my 
pocket, buckled on my sword, and taking Lebenstien, 
my interpreter, followed the delegation across the plaza 
to what seemed to be a large council hall. Here I 
found assembled the two alcaldes, the priest we recently 
had under arrest, and about twenty of the principal 
officers of the town. On our entrance, the ordinary salu- 
tations being over, some remark was made by the prin- 
cipal alcalde to Lebenstien, to which he replied, evi- 
dently in not the purest Spanish. 1 he alcalde, then, in 
good King's luiglish, asked him if he spoke English. 
I then advanced and told him if he spoke that language, 
I could answer for myself; if not as fluently as Paul did 
before Festus and Agrippa, at least sufficiently so to 
make myself understood. Upon this, he remarked that 
I must be aware that the entering of their town by an 
armed force required some explanation. I promptly an- 
swered that my mission was, if they offered no resistance, 
to protect; but if hostile, to reduce their city. He said, 
"By what authority?" I answered, "By the authority of 
the American Republic, and a force of one hundred men, 
sufficient to reduce any city in Mexico." A smile crossed 



152 Life and Adventures of 

his face, and he turned and addressed something to those 
around him. I added, " I learn that there is a large force 
assembled at this place, meditating a hostile descent 
upon Tampico." He turned to me and said: " You 
have the positive assurance of our pacific intention, by 
permitting you to take possession of the stronghold of 
our town; and so far as the force is concerned, of which 
you speak, there were about five thousand assembled, 
but not for the purpose you suppose. It was a land 
difficulty, and the descent meditated was not against the 
American forces, but upon Pueblo Viejo, to redress 
aggrievances; but they have given up the expedition, 
and disbanded eight days since, not having received the 
assistance calculated on by our citizens. If a formal 
surrender of the town is demanded, as your language 
would imply, the proper authority is present for that 
purpose." I informed him that while we demanded the 
surrender of the town, it was not my intention in the 
least to interfere with their local government, or police 
regulations, an J that he would continue to conduct them 
the same as usual; but they must from henceforth con- 
sider themselves an American town, under the conquest 
of General Gates, of Tampico. 

The principal priest then filled a large foot glass, the 
largest I had ever seen, with wine (and as I thought, 
resembling the '* cup of Hercules"), and presented it to 
me to drink. I gave them to understand they must first 
try their own poison, which the alcalde readily under- 
stood; and after drinking to our commander, passed it, 
in which I pledged the alcalde and officers of Tampico 
el Alto. The alcalde then asked if they could be of any 
service to our command; I told him if he would furnish 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 153 



a couple of buckets, and allow two of his men to 
accompany two of mine to fill them with water, I would 
trespass no farther. This he readily assented to, after 
which the alcalde gave me a cordial invitation to accom- 
pany him home; to this I consented, spending a couple 
of hours very agreeably with him. I learned from him 
that he had been educated in New York, and had trav- 
eled much in the United States. 

I took my leave of him about one o'clock, and assured 
him that I should return with my force early the next 
morning as quietly as I had entered the place. This I 
did, and at eight o'clock in the morning was with Com- 
pany I at Pueblo Viejo. The same afternoon I reported 
myself to General Gates, together with the facts heretofore 
stated. I was severely reprimanded, and threatened to 
be cashiered, for disobedience of orders. 

Perhaps it served me right for bursting the bubble, as 
General Gates' report showed that Tampico el Alto had 
fallen into the hands of the Americans, and there being 
now nothing to threaten Tampico, so large a force was 
no longer needed; consequently we soon received orders 
to join General Scott before Vera Cruz. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

MEMOIRS OF THE MEXICAN WAR — CONTINUED. ' 

AMONG the troops concentrated and designed to 
march upon the Mexican capital, was the regiment 
under Walker. The command was known as the Texas 
Rangers. I had often heard Walker spoken of as a 
daring officer, and one who had long been imprisoned by 
II 



J 54 Life and Adventures of 



the Mexicans, having been captured by them in the 
struggle between Mexico and Texas. I had imagined 
the appearance of my youthful hero, and I had pictured 
him as a large, stalwart, dark man, whose very look 
would cause an enemy to quail before him; but, on meet- 
ing him "for the first time, my idol was shattered and 
fell to the ground; for in the real Walker I found a man, 
to the best of my judgment about five feet ten inches 
high, thin and wiry, of light complexion, with' pale blue 
eyes, and of a fine nervous temperament. Out of a thou- 
sand men, he would be the last that you would take for 
a fighter. 

I find that history has said but little in regard to him, 
and I cannot throw much light on the subject further than 
this: I know that he led the advance in the line, captured 
San Juan, routed a small band of guerrillas at the Rob- 
ber's Bridge, sacked and partly demolished Santa Anna's 
hacienda at that place, met and dispersed a lot of lan- 
ceros at Agua Cotta, made a brilliant dash and took the 
castle of Perote and put the most of the garrison to the 
sword, remembering the fate of his brother at that place; 
and thereby hangs a tale. 

During the war between Texas and Mexico, Walker 
and his brother were attached to a command who were 
captured and made prisoners by the Mexicans, and after 
a long and harassing march and untold privations> 
reached the castle of Perote, where they suffered a long 
and solitary imprisonment, until at length the prisoners 
became a burden to the powers that were, and they 
finally came to the determination to rid themselves of 
the burden. There being no exchanges to be made of 
prisoners, with that wanton cruelty and hatred at that 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 155 

time towards everything that was American, they 
resolved to dispose of the prisoners there confined, 
about three hundred in number. They prepared a sack 
and placed therein a number of beans, corresponding to 
the number of prisoners. Two-thirds of these beans 
were black, while the other third was white. The pris- 
oners were then each blindfolded, as they were led out, 
and compelled to draw a bean from the sack. He who 
drew a black bean was posted at the side of a wall 
and shot immediately. Colonel Walker drew a white 
bean and was liberated, while his brother drew a black 
bean, and with other unfortunates was immediately shot. 
I afterwards saw the place and took several of the bat- 
tered bullets from the wall in front of which they were 
placed and shot. 

Walker, before leaving the castle at the dead hour of. 
night, deposited a ten-cent piece beneath the foot of the 
main flag-staff of the castle, and, with uncovered head, 
upon his bended knees, in the presence of his God and 
the stars that twinkled above him as solemn, silent wit- 
nesses, there he registered his vow that, should his life be 
spared, at some future day he would come in triumph or 
die in the attempt. The war between the United States 
and Mexico had offered him the opportunity to make 
an attempt to carry out his pledge, an opportunity he 
was not slow to embrace. After the castle was tak^n 
and after blood and carnage were stayed, our hero again, 
with reverential awe and uncovered head, devotedly 
knelt at the foot of that flag-staff and removed his talis- 
man of evil (to the Mexicans) amid the congratulations 
and cheers of his companions-in-arms, as the stars and 
stripes, the emblem of America's great nation, com- 



156 Life and Adventures of 

menced slowly creeping up the same staff, meeting the 
Mexican flag descending. As it went aloft, its folds 
unfurling to the gentle breeze, it created surprise and 
consternation among the gaping throng of Mexicans 
who had hastened from the city of Perote. All was done 
with such celerity that it seemed rather as some feverish 
dream than a reality to the denizens of the place. I am 
devoting the most of this chapter to one heroic man, 
u^ho evidently did not have influential friends at horae 
to give one blast on their horn to sound his praise, or to 
record the deeds of the brave heart and strong hand 
whose remains lie mouldering near Huamantla; but I 
will follow him to the end, and return to our march. 

To the right of the road leading to Puebla, about 
twelve miles distant, lies the important town of Hua- 
mantla, where was garrisoned quite a force of Mexicans, 
and it was thought proper to reduce the place. Colonel 
Walker, with his rangers, was ordered to advance upon 
the tovvn, throw out a skirmish line and contrive to 
occupy the Mexican force until the infantry and artillery 
should arrive; but contrary to orders and caution against 
recklessness. Walker, in approaching the city, charged, 
sword in hand, when a sharp conflict ensued. The 
Mexicans were routed, and Walker took possession o^ 
the place. But at this juncture Santa Anna, with eight- 
een hundred black horse cavalry, made his appearance 
over the hill from the north side of the town and made 
a desperate attack upon Walker's command. But 
Walker was not found napping. He met the charges 
in battle shock, and in a few minutes a large number of 
the Mexicans was placed hors dii combat, while the 
balance left the field in the utmost confusion and with 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 157 

more expedition than they had entered it. Walker, 
undoubtedly supposing that they would rally and return 
to the charge, had directed and was superintending the 
erection of a barricade across a prominent street, vv^ith 
his right resting upon a church, and placing a piece of 
ordnance to sweep the street (at this time the place had 
entirely surrendered and white flags were flying from 
most of the windows), when a shot was fired from one 
of the windows of a house from, which floated a white 
flag. Walker was shot dead, and fell into the arms of 
his black body servant; and thus in glory ended the brill- 
iant career of one of our most devoted, brave-hearted, 
and distinguished officers. Of this man I know nothing 
more than that I do not find his name inscribed 
high on the escutcheon of fame, and hence I presume, 
as I before remarked, that he left none behind him that 
had the ability or disposition to pay to the dead hero 
the tribute that his valor demanded. 

Now, having gone forward to dispose of poor Walker, 
I will return to the main thread of my story. The little 
town of San Juan was situated on a small creek twenty- 
one miles from Vera Cruz, on the road leading by the 
way of the National Bridge. On our arrival at San Juan 
we found nothing but blackened embers where the town 
had once stood. Walker was in advance. It was a 
very good camping-place and we were camped there for 
several days. It was at this place that our regiment lost 
its first man after landing at Vera Cruz. Up the creek 
about a mile and a half, in a beautiful wooded country 
was situated one of Santa Anna's many haciendas^ 
with gardens, fruits, and flowers, and an extensive orange 
grove. 



158 Life and Adventures of 

The buildings had become the head-quarters of a 
band of guerrillas, numbering about one hundred and 
fifty, who came down and made a sudden descent upon 
us at break of day. The pickets were driven in, the 
camp was astir, and the long roll was sounded; soon all 
were under arms and ready for fight, but no enemy was 
to be found. The menace was harmless, as no one was 
hurt. One company of our regiment was camped a 
little below us, towards the creek. There was a grove 
justout of musket range of this company. This company 
had been recruited in the southern part of the State of Illi- 
nois. The captain was sixty-five years of age (I have 
forgotten his name), and his company looked upon him 
as a kind of father to them, rather than as a command- 
ing officer. About four o'clock the next afternoon this 
band of hmceros filed out from the grove and made a 
sudden dash on the old man's company, and, forming a 
line, by a skillful maneuver, nearly half the command 
poured a shower of escopet balls into the camp. The 
casualty was small, one man being shot through the 
head, while some three or four were slightly wounded. 
The company was not, as you might suppose, thrown 
into confusion, but delivered into the ranks of the run- 
ning enemy a well-directed fire, which sent some five or 
six horses away riderless, while one horse did not get 
off the ground. 

As soon as the enemy had made good their retreat, 
the old captain came rushing into the main camp, his. 
eyes almost starting from their sockets, his nostrils 
expanded, his face flushed, and great drops of perspira- 
tion rolling down his cheeks, exclaiming, " Now some- 
thing must be done; they have killed John; they have 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 150 

shot him through the head, and the varlets must be 
extin^Tuished." The captain claimed the right to take 
his company and go out, hke the Israeh'tcs of old, and 
chastise the enemy, but he was at last convinced that it 
would be very imprudent for a single company or, in fact, 
any other force at that time, to go in pursuit, as the 
enemy was well acquainted with the country, and, being 
mounted, they could ambush or avoid us as they thought 
proper. 

On consultation it was thought most advisable to 
send out spies, and, if 'possible, find their rendezvous, 
which was accordingly done, when we ascertained that 
they had possessed themselves of the Jiacienda before 
referred to. Accordingly two companies were detailed 
for a night expedition. Companies I and G were 
detailed for the service, and as soon as night had fairly 
set in, the command was on the march. We had pro- 
cured a plan of the grounds and the situation of the 
stables, as well as their relation to the hacienda. The 
command was to be divided. One company was to go 
on the east side of the mansion and slip in between the 
shrubbery and the house, and the other company was to 
come up on the south side and make a bold attack, the 
force on the east side to prevent them from reaching 
their horses. ]^ut, by some mistake, the company that 
was to attack from the south side, got clear around on 
the west side, and from some cause, I know not whether 
from a sentinel or by accident, the alarm was given. 
The guerrillas, as might have been supposed, rushed for 
their horses, while our men, on the cast, attempted to 
cut them off from their stables. The affair was of 
short duration. The party which was to have kept 



IGO Life and Adventures of 

them from their horses was a Httle slow, and the most of 
them had reached the stables, but not before the com- 
pany on the west had fired into their ranks. The party 
on the east side mistaking the fire of our own men upon 
the lanceros, returned it, which, had it not been for one 
of those^club cactus fences, would have been disastrous 
to our own men; as it was, but two men were wounded, 
and those not dangerously. 

The building was then entered and proved to be well 
filled with beautiful and very valuable furniture, con- 
taining French mirrors, glass more than a half inch in 
thickness, inclosed in beautiful mahogany and black 
ebony frames, fine rosewood and mahogany chairs, sofas, 
ottomans, etc. The building was a rather rumbling 
structure and apparently fitted up in haste, and seemed 
to be a favorite resort of the one-legged veteran. But 
we made short work of things there. We gathered 
together the most combustible portion of the furniture, 
piled it in a large room and then applied a match to it. 
We also burned the barn and out-houses, leaving no 
shelter for guerrillas. From the light made by the burn- 
ing, we picked up six dead and dying Mexicans. We 
returned to camp well satisfied with the first lesson of 
our guerrilla hunting on the route to Mexico. 

In a few days we broke up camp and moved on to 
the Robber's Bridge, when the Mexicans showed them- 
selves in considerable force. But a few shot and shell 
completely dislodged them. We continued our march 
until within a short distance of the National Bridge, 
when we were opened upon by a strong fort just above 
the bridge, on the river and on the opposite side from 
us. Their position was a very strong one, and com- 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 161 

manded the road for a great distance. We also opened 
upon the fortifications with shot and shell, but to little 
purpose, as their position seemed inapregnable. But 
Yankee ingenuity and the consummate skill of our Scott 
was not long in finding a solution to the problem. A 
force of cavalry was thrown across the stream at a 
remote point, undiscovered by the Mexicans, gaining the 
rear and coming up behind on a sloping hog's back, and 
ere the Mexicans were aware of it, plunged into their 
works, sword in hand, cutting the gunners down at their 
posts and making prisoners of the remaining officers* and 
men, and, ere the day closed, the batteries commanding 
the bridge were silenced, and the National Bridge, pro- 
tected by a well-equipped Mexican force, with all its 
natural strength, which heretofore had been thought to 
be impregnable, fell into our hands. I have hardly ever 
seen a point better calculated for defensive operations or 
better entitled to be deemed impregnable than the Na- 
tional Bridge. In fact, it seemed the master-key to lock 
us out from the Mexican capital. Having full possession 
of the National Bridge, the next door that we were to 
force was the strong natural defense of Piano del Rio, 
or "river of the plains," and the pass of Cerro Gordo. 

As we advanced on the Piano del Rio, the Mexicans 
blew up the bridge and we were compelled to dig a road 
down a steep hill, or rather mountain, in order to cross 
the stream. However, General Hardy made the Mexi- 
cans perform the principal labor. We crossed the stream 
and encamped on the opposite side, in a small valley 
that extended up and down the river at the base of the 
Cerro Gordo Mountains. The country hereabout is 
very rough and rugged, interspersed with deep and dark 



162 Life and Adventures of 

ravines, fantastic caves, rolling hills, and lofty mountains, 
and through this picturesque country runs the Piano del 
Rio, a rapid mountain torrent of cold and pure water. 
The bridge, which was blown up at our approach, was of 
solid masonry, built long ago, of water-washed cobble- 
stones and cement, and the rock and cement had become 
so inseparably united that when the bridge was blown to 
pieces the rifts were straight, breaking the cobble-stones 
and cement alike. 

Our principal forces were concentrated at this point, 
meditating a descent on Santa Anna in his favorite 
stronghold. In speaking of our operations here, it is 
not my intention to reproduce a history of the many 
hard-fought fields or glorious victories achieved by our 
soldiery in the war with Mexico; but these are portions 
of the history of that war that have never been written. 
And perhaps I might go much furtjpsr, and with a 
great degree of justice, and say that the history of the 
Mexican war never was written. Though the historian 
has dwelt upon the achievements of our forces on many 
a bloody field; has eulogized the acts of those whom 
fame has proclaimed immortal, other important events 
of that history are wholly omitted. The deeds of dar- 
ing- of those who had influential friends at home to raise 
their standards for them, have had their colors flying to 
the breeze and their names emblazoned upon the pages 
of history; but who shall chronicle the record of the 
friendless captain, lieutenant, non-commissioned officer 
or private, who there offered up his life as a sacrifice 
upon the altar of his country? Nor is this the only 
unwritten history. 

I presume there are many who will remember our 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 163 

encampment at Piano del Rio, near the foot of the Cerro 
Gordo, as heretofore stated; that Scott's head-quarters 
were still at the National Bridge, and that General Pat- 
terson, being next in rank, was in command at Piano 
del Rio, and that Patterson was confined to his tent by- 
sickness, and among the general officers present were 
Generals Twiggs, Worth, and Pillow. Worth being 
temporarily in command, and very ambitious (and what 
officer of rank is not?) ordered an attack on Cerro 
Gordo. The attack was to be made at four o'clock the 
next morning, when we. were to charge upon the Mexi- 
can works at the base of the hill, and march directly up 
the road to Jalapa. Men who carry the knapsack fre- 
quently have as good an idea of the practicability of an 
attack as their officers in command. That night you 
might have traversed the encampment and heard men 
making their non-cupative wills on every side. John 
would say to Jim, "Now, Jim, if I am killed to-morrow, 
and you escape, I have five dollars in my pocket and 
Dan Jones owes me two and a half; collect that and 
send my blankets and knapsack to Sally, etc." But 
the attack was not destined to be made. General Patter- 
son arose from his sick bed, resumed his position and 
countermanded the order for an attack and sent a 
courier to inform General Scott of his condition, begging 
him to hasten forward and take command of the army, 
as he was too sick to hold it, and if he surrendered it 
to Worth, that officer would sacrifice it to his ambition. 
Scott hastened on and assumed command and con- 
tinued the countermand until he matured his plans of 
attack, and with the consummate skill for which he is so 
justly renowned, he soon discovered that the mountain 



164? Life and Adventures of 

peak about half a mile south of Cerro Gordo com- 
manded the summit of the latter mountain. Upon the 
top of Cerro Gordo Santa Anna had his head-quarters, 
at the point known as Telegraph Station. With infinite 
labor Scott secretly got several heavy pieces of field ord- 
nance 4)laced in battery, then sent out sappers and 
miners to clear out the hollow pass at the right of Cerro 
Gordo Mountain, and gave each command its position 
and signal for attack. It will be well remembered, 
doubtless, that charges were preferred against General 
Scott, and the subsequent court of inquiry, and that he 
was ordered home for trial. The countermand of the 
order for attack on Cerro Gordo, sustained by Scott's 
order continuing the countermand, I believe to have 
been the foundation of those ridiculous charges, of 
which Worth and Pillow were the active agents. In 
saying this much, I am giving you but a faint hint of 
some portions of the unwritten history of the Mexican 
War. 

But before passing entirely from Cerro Gordo, I can- 
not help mentioning one fact connected with Scott's order 
for the battle fought at that place, and the way it was 
carried out. Of course it was published and reached 
the House of Lords in England. When the Duke of 
Wellington read it, he uncovered his head and arose in 
his place in the House and said: " England in her more 
prosperous days has achieved victories; France, under 
Napoleon, was the pride of the world; but Winfield 
Scott, of the United States Army^ is the first man who 
has ever reduced war to a science." 

That general order was not the only thing that should 
have called forth the admiration of the whole civilized 



C()l/)NK]. L. A. NOk'jr^N. lOo 

world. Here was a spectacle heretofore unheard of: 
A mere handful of men, enterinr^ with hostile intentions 
a nation ()[ th(; magnitude of the Mexican Kejjublic; 
they, a nation trained to arms from their infancy, boast- 
ing of their military [jrowess and achievements in by- 
gone days; we, leavin^^ a Conr^ress behind us debatinr^ 
whether they would furnish us the means of subsistence 
or whether we should be left to our fate, and some of 
that Congress wishing that we might be " welcomed by 
blf>ody hands to inhospitable graves;" yet we pushed on, 
with a force never exceeding eleven or twelve thousand 
men, first capturing their metropolis, then penetrating to 
the heart of their country. 

They not only placed obstructions to prevent our ad- 
vance, but literally blocked up the roads behind us; in 
fact, this practice was carried on to such a state of per- 
fection by the Mexicans, that when we compelled them 
to open the road to admit our trains, it was easier in 
many places to construct a new road than to clear out 
the old one. It was the uniform boast that not one of 
us should live to tell the story; yet still we pressed on 
until victory, rm many a hard-contested field, at last 
enabled us to make ourselves masters of their capital, 
where our flag prr^udly waved over the halls of the Mon- 
tczumas, and " these northern barbarians," as they 
termer! us, dictated terms of peace, and settled our 
troubles with the erring sister republic with honor to our 
nation and a laudable pride to the actors in the scene. 

Under General .Scott's general order, Cerro Gordo was 
fought, and one of the most brilliant victories obtained 
over a largely superior force, over one-half of the army of 
the enemy on the field being captured. It was Scott's 



166 Life and Adventures of 

intention to gain their rear and cut off their retreat to 
Jalapa. This plan failed in part, but the Mexican army 
was cut in two,and Santa Anna only escaped capture by 
cutting his lead mule out of the harness, mounting upon 
his back, and beating a hasty retreat, — leaving his car- 
riage and wooden leg as trophies to our Illinois volun- 
teers, while his money-bags and treasures were left. 
Our boys as they passed would take their knives and 
cut the money-bags without breaking ranks, pocket a 
handful of Mexican dollars, and continue the cl.arge 
upon the flying foe. Santa Anna's wooden leg was 
brought home to Springfield, and deposited in our State 
capitol, as a relic of the great victory. 

At Cerro Gordo and near the telegraph station, 
for more than a month after the great battle, the 
boys might be seen exploring the dust in quest of 
Mexican dollars, with which they replenished their 
purses. Santa Anna fell back upon Jalapa with a rem- 
nant of his defeated and demoralized army, reporting a 
great victory over the enemy, and making a forced loan 
of the Mexican merchants at that place, to entirely an- 
nihilate the Yankee army. But he was not permitted to 
remain long with his shattered forces at that point, but 
was compelled to make a hasty retreat along the road 
leading to the city of Mexico, while the victorious Scott 
occupied Jalapa. Here our regiment was left to guard 
and hold the post for some time, while the main army 
was encamped outside the town. 

In this connection, I would remark that there is a 
most lovely mountain stream flowing to the west of the 
city, upon which an English company had erected a 
large woolen factory, employing a great number of 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 167 

hands. I do not know the altitude of Jalapa, but it 
must be some 8,ooo or 9,000 feet above the level of the 
sea; in fact, it might be considered a mountain town. 
And, while lying there, we experienced several quite 
heavy frosts; yet in the rear of the city, in the month of 
November, I picked some very fine blackberries, found 
coffee maturing and oranges in all conditions, from the 
blossom up to the ripe fruit, the frost seeming not to 
affect vegetation. I have many a time stood on the 
hills back of the city and seen the clouds rolling far below 
me over the valley. 

After leaving this point, we pursued our march en 
route for the city of Mexico. Through a deep gorge at 
first, then descending quite a high range of mountains, 
we at length reached the famous pass of Tahoya, or 
Black Pass.. Here the Mexicans rallied and attempted 
to make a stand. That point is well calculated to op- 
pose any advancing enemy, as the pass seems to be 
through the exhausted crater of a volcano, and the whole 
country for miles around is covered by a sharp pedregal, 
while the road was blockaded by immense walls of the 
same material, over which it w^as almost as difficult to 
travel as over broken glass. But Yankee ingenuity soon 
overcame all obstacles, and the road was opened and the 
Mexicans flying before a salute of grape and canister. 
After crossing this mountain, we reached an elevated 
plain, with the Perote Mountain to our left, and upon 
this same plain, at the foot of the mountain, is situated 
the city and castle of Perote. 

The Perote Mountain exhibits one of the most peculiar 
freaks of nature that I ever saw. At one point it forms 
a cone-like peak, upon the top of which is an immense 



168 Life and Adventures of 

rock crown which projects on every side like the top of 
a center-table over the pedestal. It resembles a large 
box or chest, and hence it is called the Cofre de Perote. 
Upon its lofty summit stands the coffer, with its huge 
proportions resting upon a much smaller base containing 
its immense imaginary treasure. To that lofty summit 
each morning, the eyes of the don, the seiiora, and peon are 
alike turned up, with an inquiring look, to note whether 
their treasures are still safe in the strong rock-box on 
the summit of old Perote. There has been some gold 
discovered at the foot of the mountain, and from that 
fact, undoubtedly, arose the name and also the legend 
that the coffer contains untold treasures of gold, and at 
some time the coffer will, with its immense treasure, come 
rolling down the mountain. 

This place is remarkable for sudden changes. of weather 
and is consequently very sickly. The sun may be shin- 
ing brightly and in fifteen minutes afterwards the rain 
may be pouring in torrents, and again clearing up as if 
by magic. These changes frequently occur a dozen 
times daily. The city of Perote contains several thou- 
sand inhabitants, yet it presents but a squalid appear- 
ance, being built principally of adobe, and the houses 
generally but one story, rough and hovel-like in their 
structure. The castle is about a quarter of a mile from 
the city and upon a level with it. The whole works are 
situated upon a level plain. Around the castle is a deep 
moat, which in times of peace is dry, but which is so 
arranged as to be filled with water at very short notice 
in case of necessity. All around inside of the outer 
wall are immense lions' heads, with their huge mouths 
open, and at a given signal they vomit forth immense 
volumes of water to fill the moat. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. u;9 



The country around, as before stated, being one vast 
level plain, up to the base of the mountain, and the 
mountain being beyond range of artillery, there is noth- 
ing to command it, and, therefore, in the hands of a 
careful garrison, it would be a place of great strength, 
but of no possible strategic value. The town is of no 
importance, and both town and castle, from the nature of 
the country, are easily turned, and there are passes in 
advance that would be easily fortified, avoiding the dan- 
ger of guerrilla access or leaving an enemy in your rear; 
in fact, I could not see what was to support so large a 
town in that place. It is too much elevated to produce 
tropical fruits, and I saw but little cultivation of the soil. 
In fact, the plain looked to me to be rather sterile and 
to be adapted to grazing purposes only. For aught I 
know, it may be supported, in part, by mines in the 
Perote Mountains, but I had no evidence of this. 

F'rom Perote, many miles west of us, to the right of 
our road, lay Mount Santa Cruz, or Mount of the Sacred 
Cross. This landmark, as it rises from the level of the 
plain to a height of some three thousand feet, may be 
seen for many leagues around, and we tramped a long 
and tiresome day's march to reach it, finally encamping 
about three miles to the south of its base, which .seemed 
to be scarcely half a mile distant. Upon its lofty peak 
which shot up into the heavens like a spire, had been 
erected a cross, when the country was invaded by Cortez. 
It looked from the plain like two straws placed at right 
angles, and as we were marching along during the day, 
a discussion arose among the officers as to how long it 
would take a man to ascend to the top and bring down 
a piece of the holy cross. Some thought two weeks to 



170 Life and Adventures of 



go and come, while I became the butt of ridicule for the 
crowd by asserting that I could go to the summit and 
bring down a piece of the cross in twenty-four hours. 

We closed our day's march and camped at a Mexican 
village of about two thousand inhabitants, called Tepeaca. 
When I had finished my supper the sun was almost an 
hour high. I went to one Henry Stickler, a member and 
private of my company, and asked him if he would 
like a little adventure, stating to him at the same 
time that I proposed that night to climb the Santa 
Cruz, and to bring down a piece of the holy cross before 
morning. Henry was a well-knit, daring man of about 
twenty-three years of age, and always ready for an ad- 
venture; consequently our arrangements were soon made 
and we took up our line of march for the base of the 
mountain, which we expected to reach in about twenty 
minutes; but as we proceeded the mountain seemed to 
recede, and night had fairly set in before we really com- 
menced our ascent. But while there was the least 
streaking of twilight in the west we shot up the steep 
ascent like two young eagles. The full moon was up, 
but it gave us little light, and as we were on the west 
side of the mountain, the moon being in the east, it 
brought the mountain between us and the light. 

Still we held our course for the lofty summit, clamber- 
ing over the immense rocks and bowlders which time 
had reft from the mountain-side, not knowing but we 
might start them from their long-used bed and precipi- 
tate them and ourselves from their airy station to the 
plain below. About two hours' labor brought us to a 
shoulder of the mountain where we stopped to take a 
rest, and, with that rest, a general view of our position. 
Before us lay the shadows of the mountain stretching 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 171 

for more than a mile west of us along- the level plain, 
like the picture of Cleopatra's Needle, with its sharp 
point pictured on the bosom of the valley. The mount- 
ain seemed almost split asunder by an immense crater, 
whose escape was to the west. Consequently we kept 
around to the east side. Now, being aided by the 
moon's rays, we again commenced our tortuous ascent, 
and about two o'clock in the morning, we reached the 
extreme summit, where had been planted the Cross of 
Vera Cruz, by the early Spanish invaders. It was com- 
posed of Mexican cedar. The timber was about twenty 
inches square, the upright being about twenty feet high, 
the cross-piece about ten feet long and about fifteen feet 
from the ground. With the aid of some rocks, and some 
boosting on the part of Henry, I was enabled to reach 
the cross-piece, and as I sat upon it, I chopped off two 
good-sized pieces, one for each of us. 

But that was not all that we did. Our command was 
escorting what was known as the big train, and the 
Mexicans swore in their wrath that it should never go 
through. They had made several raids, but were always 
defeated, and we knew that guerrillas were hanging 
on each flank. As I stood on the summit of Mount 
Vera Cruz, apparently right at my feet burned our camp- 
fires. To the left and over low ranges of hills, burned 
the enemy's camp-fires; and yet, from appearances, their 
camps were larger than ours. We commenced our de- 
scent from the mountain, and at half-past four o'clock in 
the morning we passed through our lines and reported 
ourselves in camp, bringing the evidence that the cross 
could be reached in less than twenty-four hours, as well 
as the important discovery that the Mexican forces were 
hovering on either flank of our command. 



172 Life and Adventures of 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

MEMOIRS OF THE MEXICAN WAR — CONTINUED. 

AS I am writing my own memoirs, and not the history 
of the Mexican War, I pass on in our advance march 
by Agua Caliente Huamantla, to the right twelve miles 
(this is where Walker was killed), and taking Puebla, 
San Martine, and other villages on the west, from Puebla 
to the City of Mexico, and at length arrive at a stream 
high up in the mountains called Rio Frio, or Cold River. 
I have seen snow on its banks in the summer. There 
is quite a valley in the gorge of the mountains, and, in 
fact, from the immense height of the Popocatepetl 
Range, it is comparatively a very low pass that we cross 
to reach the City of Mexico. The altitude from the 
summit to the base I never knew; but it is about that 
of perpetual snow in that climate. There is quite a 
village at Rio Frio, and we stationed our troops there dur- 
ing the war. The aspect of the place is cold and rather 
forbidding. Among other troops stationed there were 
the Texas Rangers under Col. Jack Hays. After 
Walker's death they were of but little importance to the 
service. They were not uniformed and but little drilled, 
but they were rather dreaded by non-combatants of all 
classes. Colonel Irwin's right and Captain Little's com- 
pany of cavalry were also stationed at this place for a 
long time after the fall of Mexico. 

When we had crossed the mountains at this point, we 
descended into the valley in which is situated the City of 
Mexico. I cannot recollect the distance from the base 
of the mountain to the City of Mexico; but I remember 
distinctly that there was no town of any note on the 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 173 



main road to the city, between the base of the mountains 
and the city; but, in order to reach the city, we had to 
cross a morass, or what iji by-gone ages and what in 
winter is still a shallow lake, upon a causeway about 
eight miles in length. At the eastern end of the cause- 
way on the south side of the road, arises a small but 
abrupt mountain, called Pinon. This point Santa Anna 
had made impregnable by three tiers of fortifications, one 
above the other, which commanded the plain along which 
the road approached it, and the entire causeway to the city. 
Scott's keen perceptions convinced him that it was 
useless to attempt to enter the city in that way; hence 
he kept up a feint before Piiion, and marched the com- 
mand around to the south, at the base of the mountains, 
a distance of sixty miles, when Santa Anna awoke to a 
realizing sense that he and the fortifications at Pinon 
were " left out in the cold," and that the " northern bar- 
barians" had whipped their forces at Contreras, and were 
likely to enter the capital on the west, instead of on the 
east side. And after taking San Angelo and whipping 
them at Churubusco, Molino del Rey, and Chapultepec, 
we did absolutely enter the city from the west, in the 
face of a large square battery, hastily erected to give us 
a suitable reception. And they did make it so warm 
for us that we were compelled to order up sharp-shooters 
to run from the pier of the aqueduct until they had the 
parties within easy range and picked them down from 
their guns. As the Mexicans marched out on one side 
of the city, we marched in from the other, and from the 
evidence of joy at meeting us, I could not help thinking 
that they thought we must have been there before. 
White flags were waving from every window, and every 



174 Life and Adventures of 

balcony was crowded with ladies, all welcoming us and 
waving their white handkerchiefs at us. 

After quiet was restored in the city, I quartered my 
regiment in the convent of San Domingo, with many 
others, establishing my office as acting quartermaster 
and acting assistant commissary at the custom house. 
True, the women were all lovely and kind, but many of 
the men were jealous and hostile, though it was soon 
discovered that there were a great many Mexican men 
who got badly pricked with the side-arms of officers, and 
that called forth an order forbidding officers off duty to 
wear their swords, which order was strictly enforced; yet 
there was a fine lot of 5x8 steel bars in the city, and 
when polished and pointed and ingeniously fixed into a 
hilt, they made a very fair defense against toads, and 
each of us soon had a toad-stabber. 

The city is built on a square, with streets generally 01 
a respectable width, and also contains several public 
squares or plazas, which is one of the prettiest features 
of Mexican towns of any note. The drainage of the 
city is below and along the center of each street, and 
discharges the contents into the moat that surrounds the 
city. The present State house, or palace, is a very im- 
posing structure, and is situated on the east side of the 
main plaza, and almost adjoining this is the museum in 
which is deposited many robes of fine texture and furs 
of every description, bows, arrows, javelins, and other 
weapons, they being arms and clothing claimed to have 
been preserved from the days of the Aztec race; but 
what struck me as the most curious of all the relics, was 
an immense copper man and horse, standing on a ped- 
estal of colossal size, the whole weight of which must be 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 175 

from thirty to forty tons, judging from appearances. 
This marvel of art I was informed was a present from 
some king of Austria, or some one of the German States, 
and had been transported by the way of Vera Cruz over 
the mountains to the City of Mexico. Opposite the hall 
or palace, across the plaza and on the west side thereof, 
stands the famous Bella Union, a hotel and the principal 
gambling hall in the City of Mexico, where it is said a 
million of dollars changes hands in a single night. It is 
a building of immense proportions, four stories in height. 
You enter through a hall into a covered court inside, 
which is lighted from above by a glass dome. The lower 
or ground floor of this vast court is circular in form, and 
the entire walls are covered with large mirrors. The 
floor is composed of marble blocks, each about twelve 
inches square, alternately black and white. 

There is a series of galleries from the bottom to the 
top, the rooms all fronting inwards on this immense court; 
around which verandas are built, as before stated. The 
rooms run through to the outer walls, through which 
many of them are lighted by windows. The inner 
porches or verandas, as well as many of the rear rooms, 
are filled with gaming tables, which as a general thing 
are filled each night with players. I have often witnessed 
the old don marching ahead of his servant, who followed 
with his small iron trunk loaded with its golden freight 
of doubloons. On one occasion I watched the betting of 
one who came in thus provided for, at a monte table, and 
remained a quiet observer from nine o'clock in the even- 
ing till two in the morning. The old fellow was out of 
luck, and I saw his sack of doubloons gradually melt 
away. I saw him stake seventy-two doubloons on the 



176 Life and Adventures of 

turn of a single card, and lose. He took the thing with 
the utmost composure, smoking his cigarette all the 
while. They were still playing when I left, but I learned 
the next day that the bank had broken him. 

The south side of the plaza was principally occupied 
by stores, while on the north side was situated the fa- 
mous cathedral of Mexico. I never made myself thor- 
oughly acquainted with the outside of the city. There 
were three things which prevented it: First, though the 
city was in the hands of the Americans, it was all that 
a man's life was worth to ramble off in the outskirts alone; 
secondly, I was very busy while there; and thirdly, my 
right arm was in a sling, and I was not very well able 
to defend myself in case of trouble. And hereby hangs 
a tale which I thought I would leave untold, or rather 
leave it for others to tell; but as I am writing of my own 
personal adventures, perhaps it would not be right for 
me to omit it. 

There was no one better acquainted with the fact than 
the Mexicans, that commissary and quartermaster stores 
were hard to get by an American army invading Mexico, 
and, consequently, they were ever on the alert to cut 
them off. I was acting quartermaster, and, following up 
our brilliant successes with our supply train, with a 
mounted guard of two hundred men en route from Con- 
treras to Churubusco, when at a short distance from San 
Angelo, I saw a command of from five hundred to six 
hundred lancers coming up on a brisk trot and their 
leader bravely riding in advance of the column. In fact, 
he was so far in advance that I thought he wanted a 
parley. I rode out towards him, when he immediately 
drew and charged out to meet me. I drew my saber 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 177 

and we met about midway between our commands, and, 
as we advanced, I suppose that we were each measuring 
our man. At least I was measuring mine. He was a 
compactly built man of less length of limb, but rather 
higher than myself. He was mounted on a splendid 
(and speaking comparatively) large mustang. I was 
mounted on an active American horse. We met. I at 
once discovered that our horses were about equally 
trained, but, with all my boasted skill (having been 
trained in cavalry saber exercise by Lesser Lebenstein, 
the Pole), my antagonist was the better swordsman of 
the two. 

His first attempt was to cut my rein. Finding that I 
was no novice in the art, and I, about the same time, 
discovering that I had more in my man than I had bar- 
gained for, business commenced in earnest. We both 
held ourselves close on our guard, while we rapidly plied 
our cuts and parried with all our skill. I pinked him a 
little in the ri^^ht side by an interpoint that he had not 
fully parried, when he rose in his stirrups, dealt me an 
over-hand cut, which I had not found laid down in our 
tactics (hence I claimed it out). I tried to parry, but 
his blade followed mine down to the hilt, severing my 
guards like straws, and buried his blade deep in my 
wrist and palm, severing the cords and pulsating arteries 
of the palm, and being heated by my exertions in the 
fight the blood spurted for many feet, and full in the 
face of my adversary; but, unfortunately for him, he had 
buried his blade so deep in my guards that he could not 
immediately withdraw it, and by suddenly turning my 
arm and by a rapid motion of my left hand, retaining 
my rein, I seized my revolver and opened fire. When 



178 Life and Adventures of 

I had discharged four shots in rapid succession, such had 
been his exertions that he had withdrawn his blade to 
within six inches of the point. During this contest, there 
had been no advance, nor was one shot fired by either 
command; but when they saw his saddle empty a most 
deafeni.ng shout went up from my men. I wheeled my 
horse, ordered an advance, and rode through the lines to 
the rear. The first volley from our carbineers was at 
point blank range. Still advancing and drawing their 
holster pistols, they literally fired into the enemies' 
faces, while they were blazing away with their old esco- 
pets with but slight damage to my command, and by 
the time we came to the saber, the foe was in rapid but 
demoralized retreat. My boys would have pursued their 
advantage further but I did not allow them to do so, 
as my duty only extended to the protection of my train. 
As it was, I never saw as many men hors dii combat for 
the length of time and numbers engaged, the whole 
affair after their leader fell, not occupying more than ten 
minutes; but I could no longer keep my saddle, and was 
borne to the rear, when it was discovered, from the great 
loss of blood, that they could not take up the arteries, 
and the surgeon was compelled to give me alcohol to 
raise a pulse so as to enable him to take them up. It 
was found on examination that twenty-seven of the 
enemy were dead on the field, beside fifty-two wounded 
prisoners. And thus ended the hottest little time I ever 
experienced in Mexico. And though I never have been 
able to boast of much good luck, I congratulated myself 
here as having made a very lucky escape with the com- 
parative loss of the use of my right hand. It is true that 
it was unfortunate for me, and equally so for those who 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 179 

have to decipher the hieroglyphics made by the same 
hand. From this digression, I will return again to the 
city. 

Our command was stationed in the convent of San 
Domingo, near the custom house. This is one of the 
most perfect labyrinths that I ever saw. . A regiment of 
men could be lost in it. I made it a point never to 
occupy more space than was needed to quarter my men ; 
and this fact was always appreciated by the padres. 
Consequently, they and myself were on the best of terms. 
I always guarded as much as possible against that spirit 
of vandalism that pervaded the army. The building 
covers two blocks, having been arched over a street 
which runs under a portion of the vast structure. In 
discussing the magnitude of the building, I heard a 
wager offered and refused that a man could not step 
into and write his name in each room, in twelve hours. 

One of my friends, a principal among the padres, 
kindly offered to take me through and show me the 
chapels. The day was appointed, and we commenced 
our tour of inspection. I went through nine different 
chapels in the building, but I was so much indisposed 
that I was forced to quit my promenade for that day, 
and I never afterwards had an opportunity to finish up 
the exploration. The chapels which I visited were 
ornamented with great taste and the appointments with- 
out regard to cost. There were many of the most beau- 
tiful chandeliers that I ever saw, with many other cut- 
glass ornaments, which I was assured were all the handi- 
work of the padres. There was also a great number of 
exquisite paintings adorning the walls, which were also 
the work of the padres and the nuns. While passing 



180 Life and Adventures of 

through these gorgeous apartments, I felt as though I 
were treading the halls of Monte Cristo palace, rather 
than a place for the worship of God. The priests and 
nuns only know the extent of this edifice, and I presume 
there are many who have been immured within its walls 
for years who know less of its extent than myself. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

MEMOIRS OF THE MEXICAN WAR — CONTINUED. 

IN the City of Mexico I was filling three important 
offices, to wit, acting quartermaster, acting assistant 
commissary of subsistence, and ordnance officer, yet I 
had much of my time to myself while in camp or garri- 
son. The condition upon which I accepted the appoint- 
ments was that I should have the privilege of going into 
the command and selecting therefrom just such assistance 
as I needed; accordingly I had selected three clerks, one 
for the quartermaster department, onefor the commissary, 
and one for the ordnance department, and they were all 
men much more competent in a practical business sense 
than myself Consequently I had but little more to do 
than to sign vouchers and make my reports to Wash- 
ington. We had not been in the city more than a month, 
when, during my leisure, I had visited the cathedral, the 
halls of the Montezumas, Chapultepec, the aqueduct, and 
other prominent places in and about the city, with vari- 
ous other adventures unimportant to my narrative. But 
at last I stumbled upon one which I think is worthy of 
relating, and consequently 1 give it a place. 

Near the center of the city is a magnificent plaza, or 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 181 

public square, ornamented with low shrubbery, water 
fountains, flagged walks, low palms, and rustic seats; 
and outside of these is a nice flagged walk for pedes- 
trians; then, outside of that, a small border of grass, 
about four feet wide, with low curbing, some four to 
six inches above the level; and again, outside of all, 
is a lovely carriage drive, where myriads of fine car- 
riages are, through the day and until late in the even- 
ing, constantly driving. One pleasant afternoon I was 
strolling leisurely around this plaza, when I noticed a 
magnificent carriage drive past quite close to where I 
was walking, and I also noticed that, as it approached 
me, the horses (two beautiful blacks) slackened their 
pace and kept along on a walk for some time. But as 
I was lounging and stopping every few steps, admiring 
shrubbery, etc., I paid but little attention further than to 
notice that the carriage mended its pace as soon as it 
passed me. I thought no more of it, and had com- 
menced retracing my steps, when again I was attracted 
by the splendid equipage, and, as before, when it 
approached the spot where I was, again the pace was 
slackened. I then noticed that there were but two per- 
sons connected with the vehicle — the driver outside, and 
a female dressed in black, and shrouded in a thick black 
veil. As before, after they passed me, the carriage 
increased its pace. By this time my curiosity was thor- 
oughly aroused. I continued for some time in the place 
where they passed me, when I slowly continued my 
walk, and, for the third time, I noticed the carriage 
approaching, and again slackening its pace. This time, 
when it came opposite to me, the lady passed her white 
handkerchief before her face, and quite naturally dropped 



182 Life and Adventures of 

it out of the carriage. I sprang forward, picked up the 
handkerchief, and presented it to the lady, who acknowl- 
edged the compliment by an inclination of the head, 
at the same time passing me a card, and away went lady 
carriage, and driver. The card contained some writing 
in a lady's hand, but in Spanish, which I could not read. 

I made my way to head-quarters, called my man 
Lebenstein, my interpreter, and the card proved to be a 
request to call at a certain street and number that even- 
ing. Lebenstein insisted that I must not go, as there 
was treachery at the bottom of the matter. I pretended 
to coincide with his views, although secretly determining 
to investigate the matter. Accordingly, the first thing 
I did was to find the street and number, and discovered 
that it was in the most fashionable part of the town, and 
but a short distance from my quarters. My next move 
was to confide the matter to two trusty friends, Sergeant 
Efner and Henry Stickler, and, after some deliberation, 
it was arranged that they were to patrol in front of the 
building, ready to catch the first alarm in case of 
treachery. 

At nine o'clock sharp, we all went on the ground; 
I rang the bell at the outer gate, and was promptly 
admitted by a female servant, who conducted me through 
an arched passage to an inner court. I was not long in 
discovering that I was entering the premises of wealth 
and luxury. The court was large and commodious, 
with a beautiful jetting fountain in the center, statuary 
stationed at intervals, and two or three orange trees, 
which are quite common in that c<juntry. All around 
this court were projecting balconies, covered over by the 
upper roof, with hanging lamps that lighted up the 
whole place. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 183 

I followed the servant up a flight of stairs to the first 
floor, where I was ushered into a most magnificent 
drawing-room, when the girl informed me that her mis- 
tress would be in presently. She withdrew, and in less 
than a minute the object of my adventure made her 
appearance, and, O ye gods! what an appearance! I 
had seen women in dreams, in story, and in reality; but 
nothing in point of beauty and loveline ss equal to the 
being that now stood before me. Remember that I was 
young and impressible, and internally exclaimed, "A 
goddess! " She moved toward me with all the grace of 
a sylph, with embarrassment upon her countenance 
offering an apology for her seeming boldness in inviting 
a stranger to call on her at that hour, and assured me 
that secresy in the matter could only secure her protec- 
tion. I stammered out something, I know not what, in 
reply. But she soon made me understand that business 
also had dictated her course, and when seated, she 
attempted to enter upon a more elaborate explanation, 
stating that her business was of such a nature that, in 
those troublesome times, she could not entrust it to the 
Mexican authorities, and that she had no friend among 
the Mexicans to whom she could confide her troubles; 
that being near my quarters she had often seen me, and 
had made up her mind that if I would befriend her, she 
would confide in me. 

I assured her of my willingness to do all in my power 
to aid and protect her against wrong and intrigues; but 
as she spoke no English, and I but little Spanish, it 
was impossible for me to learn the true condition of 
things, except through an interpreter. She had already 
informed me that she had been a wife; that her husband 



184 Life and Advkntures of 

had been a general in the Mexican army, and had fallen 
at Cerro Gordo; that he was wealthy; that she was his 
sole heir, but that some of his relatives were attempting 
to cheat her out of her property. After considerable 
conversation on her part, I not understanding a quarter 
she said, I asked her if she had any person about her 
estate who could talk English. She informed me that 
she had not; that she kept but three trusty servants, — 
a man and wife, and coachman, none of whom could 
talk English. It was at length arranged that I was to 
entrust Lebenstein, my interpreter, as I thought him 
safe, and I was to renew my visit the next night, at the 
same hour, and bring my interpreter, when the subject 
was dropped for the evening. She rang and ordered 
refreshments, among which were champagne and Madeira 
wines, nuts, candies, bananas, oranges, etc. 

At eleven o'clock I took leave of my goddess, with 
many kind assurances, and met my companions at the 
street gate, who scolded me for keeping them on guard 
so long. To satisfy the boys, we repaired to an oyster 
saloon, took a stew, and then went to quarters, where 
an adjutant from General Butler bore marching orders 
for our regiment, the next morning at five o'clock. I 
shall not attempt here to analyze my feelings. I first 
rushed to Colonel Hick's headquarters and begged him 
to let me remain on leave for two days, when I would 
follow. But, as I expected, my efforts were unavailing; 
for as acting quartermaster the regiment could not move 
until I had put it in motion. I then flew back to the 
house of my angelic one, rang the bell several times, but 
could get no response, and was compelled to give the 
matter up at least for that time, trusting to the chapter 
of accidents to make it right. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 185 



Our destination was the city of Puebla, where we 
arrived on the sixth day, and it took me about one week 
to get the regiment fairly quartered. At the end of 
that time I applied to Colonel Childs, military governor 
at Puebla at that time, for permission to return to the 
City of Mexico on an eight-day furlough. He refused 
to let me return to the city, saying that I could have 
my business done through the department at the city. 
I then forwarded a like request to General Scott (who 
had always been my friend). He gave me leave of 
absence for eight days. I joined a party of officers, and 
in three days thereafter I was in the City of Mexico. I 
waited until nightfall and then repaired to the residence 
of my lovely unknown. I rang the bell, but to no pur- 
pose; and after a long investigation and thoroughexplora- 
tion of the surroundings, I b came fully satisfied that I 
was the only person about the premises, and that the 
house was closed. The three weeks that I had been 
unavoidably detained, I found had separated me from 
my fair one forever. Of her fate and fortune I have 
never learned a word; but such beauty as hers, her 
pleasing manner and address, would be sure to command 
friends everywhere. 

I was determined, while on this trip, to revisit the 
battle-field of Contreras. In accordance with that 
notion, I tried to raise a small party of officers to 
accompany i;ie from the city. The distance, as well as 
I can now remember, was about nine miles. After con- 
siderable effort I failed to get anyone to venture out; 
consequently, I thought I would venture as far as San' 
Angelo, that being our outpost, and trust to luck to get 
company from there. I therefore mounted my horse 
13 



186 Life and Adventures of 

and rode to that point, where I again tried to get a 
party to go out with me to the battle-field, which was 
three miles distant from that place. But I was assured 
that it would be unsafe for me to go out there with a 
small party, as the whole country thereabouts was 
swarming with guerrillas. 

But I had made up my mind to go, and go I did, 
against the remonstrances of all. I rode out there with- 
out adventure, and when I reached the field, I dis- 
mounted and unbuckled my sword and fastened my 
sword-belt around the horn of my saddle, and was lead- 
ing my horse over the field on the east side of the sod 
embankments, looking for some memorial to take from 
the battle-field. As I stooped to pick up some brooches 
from a Mexican cap, two shots were fired in rapid suc- 
cession. My horse sprang, reared, and pulled away from 
me, and ran like a frightened deer towards San Angelo, 
which, by the way I passed in coming to Contreras, 
caused him to perform quite a circuit in following the 
road around the hill, while I ran straight down the hill 
and attempted to intercept him. When about half-way 
to San Angelo, I met a non-commissioned officer with 
twelve men, who had been sent out to look for my body. 
They were leading my horse, but expected that if they 
found me, they would find me dead. The sh ts were 
fired from quite a distance, and I thought no more of 
the matter. The horse in running had thrown out one 
of my holster pistols, which, of course, was lost. With 
that exception, all was right. 

When I reached San Angelo I treated the boys at the 
post and took my departure for the city by the way of 
Tacuba, which place I had passed about one mile, 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 187 



when I met two infantry officers — a major and captain. 
They were going towards Tacuba, and soon afterward 
I discovered six lanceros, who came riding at a break- 
neck speed. I at once drew my revolver in one hand, and 
my remaining holster pistol in the other. I put my 
horse at the top of his speed and charged through. 
They opened to the right and left to let me go. I 
adopted this plan because I did not know whether they 
were friends or foes, as we had many Mexican lanceros 
in our service. I reached the city, put up my horse, and 
entered the Bella Union Hotel; had taken a wash, and 
walked up to a mirror to comb my hair, when I noticed 
an apparent tear or jagged hole in the breast of my new 
uniform, with white cotton padding protruding, and, as 
I was turning from the glass, still looking at my uni- 
form, I discovered another white place still, down under 
my arm, when the truth flashed through my mind that 
one of the two bullets fired while I was stooping to pick 
up the brooches, had passed between my arm and body, 
penetrating my uniform, and my horse jumping and 
pulling away from me at the same time, prevented me 
from noticing the concussion or jar from the bullet. 

I exhibited the rent to some brother officers, and told 
them of the occurrence, when one of them asked me if 
my horse was not struck, causing him to jump and run 
away from me as he did. I said I had not examined 
him. We went to the stable, and upon examination we 
found that a bullet had passed across his rump, cutting 
about half the thickness of the ball, making an ugly 
wound about four inches long. While we were yet con- 
versing, a courier arrived from Tacuba, stating that a 
band of guerrillas had murdered a major and captain, 



188 Life and Adventures of 

who were returning from the city, having just been paid 
off. I then congratulated myself upon the precaution I 
had adopted when charging through their ranks a few 
minutes before the murder. 

Major Young and a party of officers being about to 
return te Puebla, I joined the party, making six of us, 
all told. We set out on a return trip, and about six 
o'clock in the evening we arrived at a little wayside inn 
or half-way place, in the foot-hills of the Popocatepetl, 
at or near the entrance of the pass across the mountains 
by way of Rio Frio. At this place we found a small 
number of Frians and others in a state of great excite- 
ment. On inquiry, we learned the following facts: Lieu- 
tenant Marsden and wife, with an escort of three 
mounted men, while on their way to the City of Mexico, 
and within half a mile of that place, were assaulted; 
the lieutenant was lassoed, pulled from his horse, and 
dragged to death, and at the time of the lassoing a volley 
was fired from the brush, wounding one of the soldiers 
in the side and breaking one horse's leg, while the assail- 
ants rushed in, seized the lady's horse by the bridle, and 
soon disappeared in the hills, with the lady a prisoner. 
The other soldiers, with their wounded companion, 
reached the station, and the party returned and found 
the body of the lieutenant partly stripped and rifled of 
all valuables. The body was bruised and mutilated, and 
in a horrible condition. 

We soon determined to pursue the villains, and rescue 
the lady if possible. From what we could learn, there 
were not more than a dozen of them at most. Our 
little party numbered six, and the two troopers swelled 
our efficient force to eight. There was one old peon, who 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 189 

informed us that he knew the location of one guerrilla 
rendezvous; that it was at an old hacienda among some 
spurs of the m.ountains about seven miles distant; and 
he offered his services as guide. By half-past seven we 
were all in the saddle, and commenced a rapid ride over 
broken ground, where spurs of the mountains were pro- 
jecting into the valley, sometimes riding through an 
open pine wood, sometimes over open ground, until our 
guide informed us that we were close to the place, when 
we dismounted and left our horses in charge of one of 
our party. The rest of us commenced a stealthy march 
upon the old adobe, which stood upon the bank of a 
small mountain stream. 

We gained the rear of the building and discovered a 
large orange orchard at our left. Coming up close to 
the house, there was light proceeding from a broken 
window. We ventured a short distance from the win- 
dow, and after a hasty consultation, we cocked our car- 
bines, and five of us were to approach the window, that 
being as many as could do execution through the nar- 
row casement, and that only by firing over each other's 
shoulders, while two gained the front, where we expected 
them to fly to make their escape. When all was ready, 
the signal was given, and we simultaneously discharged 
our five carbines in their midst. At that instant a ter- 
rific scream was heard inside. It was by a woman. As 
we had anticipated, there was a rush for the front door, 
where we heard two • more shots in rapid succession. 
We sprang to the front, saber in hand; but the guerrillas 
were tearing through the orchard like frightened deer. 
Upon entering the house, our passage was obstructed by 
a dead " greaser " in the doorway. On entering, we 



190 Life and Adventures of 

found three on the floor, two in the last agonies of death, 
and the other wounded in the chest, undoubtedly fatally. 
We next looked for the woman, whom we found in an 
adjoining room, seated upon a stool and tied hand and 
foot. We released her, and, on searching, found her 
horse, where there were several other horses. We sad- 
dled her horse and also one for the prisoner, and were 
soon ready for our return march. Some suggested that 
we should burn the house; but this I opposed, as the 
probable owner of it was doubtless not a party to the 
transaction or had any knowledge of its perpetration. 
We left the three dead Mexicans where they were lying, 
mounted our horses, and were soon on the trail home- 
ward. We had ridden about a mile on our homeward 
route, when a shot was fired in the rear of our little 
command. The two troopers who had charge of the 
wounded Mexican came riding up, and said the prisoner 
had escaped. We readily understood how the escape 
was made, and that probably a bullet through his brain 
had aided him on his way. 

The next morning, after giving the remains of Mars- 
den as decent a burial as the condition of things would 
admit, we took our departure and were again on our 
way to Puebla. After consultation with Mrs. Marsden, 
we took her under our charge, and with us she returned 
to Rio Frio, where she had some acquaintances in the 
command stationed at that place. We saw her safely 
in charge of her friends, when we again pursued our 
journey without further adventure, till within a few miles 
of Puebla. 

It was dark and we were hastening on to reach the 
city that night, when, in the distance, we heard what we 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 191 

thought to be the rattle of musketry in the city. We 
could hear it clearly and distinctly. We hurried up, 
believing that there was a general engagement, and each 
was cudgeling his brain to know how he should find his 
respective command; and more than once I had ex- 
claimed, in my anxiety, " What the d — 1 has become 
of the artillery ? " We dashed along at a rapid rate, 
and entered the city. The firing seeming to be at the 
lower end of the city, near the plaza; we rode as near as 
we dared, and then commenced a reconnoisance to learn 
which were the American forces and which the Mexi- 
can, when, in a short time, to our entire disgust, we 
learned that the men had secured a great quantity of 
those large Mexican fire-crackers, the report of which 
was about equal to that of a musket, and two regiments 
had pitched into each other in good earnest with the fire- 
crackers; " this, and nothing more." 



CHAPTER XX. 

MEMOIRS OF THE MEXICAN WAR — CONTINUED. 

OUR command had now their regular station at 
Puebla, placed there as a portion of the defense of 
that city. This is a most lovely place, situated as it is 
upon the high table-lands about six thousand feet above 
the level of the ocean, in the midst of a vast plain, with 
brooks and rivulets of pure water rimning through it, and 
surrounded by snow-capped mountains. To the west is 
Mount Popocatepetl and the White Lady, on the same 
range. To the southeast is the Orizaba, with its spire- 
peak, already mentioned. In this same valley are situated 



102 Life and Adventures of 



the ancient city and pyramids of Cholula. There are 
also beautiful mineral springs bet^veen the city and that 
place, sending a flood of sulphur and other mineral 
waters through the valley, a portion of which is brought 
to Puebla, by way of aqueducts and canals, where it is 
used fori)^thing purposes. 

I have seen, in the city of Puebla, a most beautiful 
picture of the founding of that town by the angels, some 
with their tape-lines measuring off the ground, and 
showing a lovely stream running through its site, while 
four other angels are descending from heaven and bear- 
ing to earth the cathedral of Puebla, one at each corner 
of the immense edifice. It is firmly believed by the 
ignorant Mexicans that the cathedral was erected in a 
single night by the angels, and a contradiction on that 
subject renders them very hostile, notwithstanding the 
fact that it took more than fifty years to complete the 
structure, while the " northern barbarians " would have 
completed the work in five or six years. I was told by 
parties who pretended to know, that the entire cost of 
the edifice was something over sixteen million dollars. 

There were, at the time I sojourned there, about 80,- 
000 inhabitants in the city, and a prettier, cleaner city I 
never saw, containing every evidence of wealth and 
luxury. The buikiings and architecture compared 
favorably with those of the City of Mexico; but not- 
withstanding its wealth and beauty, over two-thirds of 
the whole wealth in buildings and lands is owned by 
the churches, of which, I believe, there were eighty-seven; 
in fact, it is the great city of churches. I do not believe 
there was ever three minutes, day or night, in which you 
could not hear the rinuin^r of bells. In Puebla the 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 193 

churches are not confined to a single bell; but the most 
of them are furnished with from three to a dozen, and 
the cathedral contains twenty-four, the largest of which 
is over twelve feet across the chime, and can only be 
rung by means of a windlass attached to the clapper. 
But among the bells, there was one that was more effi- 
cient than all the rest, that would knock every Mexican 
flat to the earth, as far as its sound could be heard; this 
was the bishop's bell. I have seen some of the more 
devout drop upon the street and absolutely lick the 
pavement. Puebla, next to Cholula, is the cradle of the 
church. Our command was quartered in the convent of 
St. Augustus, and I here, as at the City of Mexico, be- 
came quite a favorite with the padres by reason of my 
moderation, demanding no more room for the men than 
was necessary. There were a great many nuns and a 
great many children in this institution. The children 
were foundlings, of course. 

We had been stationed but a short time in this con- 
vent, when one day I felt a severe pain in my throat, 
the glands about my neck becoming very much in- 
flamed, and I made complaint to our surgeon, Dr. W. B. 
Whitesides, who was my bosom friend and who had 
saved me once at Tampico. I told him I was suffering 
very much, and if it was popular to die of sore throat, I 
believed that it would kill me. The doctor did not 
seem to know anything about the disease. My throat 
continued to swell until it and my chin were even, and I 
kept scolding about it and rubbing it with opodeldoc 
and other powerful liniments that I found among the 
doctor's medicines. At length it became so swollen 
that I could scarcely breathe at all. Night came on and 



194 Life and Adventures of 

I got a big hop poultice and wrapped it around my 
throat and went to my cot. I gradually became easier 
and dropped off into a sleep, and when I awoke the 
next morning I was much better. But before the next 
morning there were three dead officers laid out in my 
quarters from the same disease. 

There were few attractions in the city for wild, advent- 
urous spirits; but there was one never-failing source of 
enjoyment, and that was the Passo, or species of plaza. 
There were beautiful walks, choice shrubbery, fragrant 
flowers, and bright, sparkling fountains. One evening, 
as Lieutenant Poleon and myself were walking in the 
Passo, we discovered two men in what appeared to be a 
deadly combat, one being armed with a saber, the other 
with a heavy knife, resembling, in breadth and weight, 
a butcher's cleaver. We stepped up each behind one of 
the combatants and pulled them asunder, and arrested 
both of them. They yielded to the arrest and we 
marched them into quarters and placed them under 
guard. The one with the saber turned out to be a 
member of the Mexican police force; the other a noted 
cut-throat. The policeman died at the end of two days, 
and I had the satisfaction of seeing the other hanged. 

The monotony of the city finally became unendurable, 
and one fine morning in the month of April, I rode out 
of town, resolved upon an adventure of some kind. I 
went out of the city on a well-traveled road, not know- 
ing to what point it led. In fact I never thought of 
making an inquiry; but it led through a lovely plain, 
well-settled, with large and handsome houses and well- 
cultivated fields, bearing orange groves, bananas, plant- 
ains, alfalfa, and waving grain, while here and there 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 195 

were bright, sparkling brooks, wending their way over a 
pebbly bed to the river in the distance. In a word, it 
presented a prospect that the lover of the beautiful 
would treasure in mind. 

I continued my ride to a distance of at least sixteen 
or eighteen miles, seeing nothing but peons and laborers 
of different grades; but presently, in the distance, and 
at the edge of a grove, I noticed what first seemed to be 
a low grove of small bushes, with a most singular foliage; 
I continued to ride in that direction, and the nearer I 
approached, the more singular the appearance. But in 
a few minutes the mystery was solved; it was a group of 
lances stuck in the ground with their streamers waving 
in the breeze; and I had no sooner discovered the char- 
acter of the object of my curiosity than the lanceros had 
discovered and made me out. While I sat on my horse 
watching them, the group of lances were hurriedly pulled 
up from the earth and in the hands of Mexican warriors; 
and, each mounting a mustang, disclos d the fact that a 
regiment of lanceros had been luxuriating in the shade 
of the grove, their horses secreted in the grove, and all 
taking a rest. As soon as they were mounted, they 
made a furious dash across the field for the highway, 
where I sat upon my horse looking at them as they 
advanced. I would have told them, if I had had an 
opportunity, that they need not hurry so on my account. 
They must have held me in high respect; for when I 
drew my saber and waved them a salute, they returned 
it by the discharge of a hundred escopets. I did not 
wait for further compliments, but concluded I would go 
back home. I was mounted on my favorite horse, 
which was fleet as the wind; and although they were 



196 Life and Adventures of 

traveling after me at a rapid rate, old Selim soon in- 
creased the distance between them and me. 

As soon as I was entirely safe from their careless 
shooting, on coming to a little eminence, I wheeled my 
horse and again waved my saber at them, when they 
made another vigorous dash for me, when I retreated 
again in good order. I thus amused myself beckoning 
them on to follow me for several miles, until passing a 
hacienda, where I saw two men rushing out, each having 
an escopet in hand to cut off my retreat, when I put 
my horse on a dead run, dropped my rein upon his 
neck, and as I passed them discharged my two pistols 
at them, while at the same moment they fired at me; 
but as far as I could see, this new danger rather accel- 
erated my speed. I soon increased the distance between 
us, and continued to hold it until within about three 
miles of the city, when they gave up the chase. I then 
rode back a short distance toward them and beckoned 
them on, but could not induce them to follow me further, 
when I rode slowly into town, feeling well satisfied with 
my day's adventure. 

About this time Lieutenant Conkling and myself were 
taken down with Mexican rheumatism. It is one of 
those diseases that seems to be peculiar to the highlands 
and table-lands of Mexico, and it is one of the most 
terrible and painful diseases that ever afflicted humanity. 
There are hundreds of men in Puebla whose limbs are 
drawn into all conceivable shapes. I have seen some 
poor creatures stalking through the streets with their 
shoulders drawn down at right angles with their legs; 
others crawling along the streets upon all fours. I suf- 
fered in every limb and joint the most excruciating 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 197 

agony; and this continued, day and night, for several 
weeks. The doctors could give me no relief. It was 
entirely new to our surgeons, and beyond their control. 
Conkling would lie in his hammock and exclaim, '* Oh 
God! Norton; what shall I do?" I, on the other side, 
''Oh God! Conkling; what shall I do?" At last we 
called in the padres to our aid, as they professed medi- 
cal skill. They prepared a strong ointment and anointed 
us from head to foot. I don't know what effect it may 
have had on our souls, but this I do know, it did 
not help our bodies in the least. 

We became cross, irritable, and reckless. I recollect 
that it was a little cool, and I sent my servant out to get 
a pottery charcoal furnace to warm the room. My man 
got it up, kindled and ready for a warming process; but 
it did not work to suit friend Conkling. He picked it 
up, walked to the balcony and threw it down on the 
sidewalk, to the infinite amusement of a crowd of beg- 
garly peons, and sent his servant out for another. He 
brought it in, and started the fire, when I deliberately 
picked it up and dashed it from the balcony to the street 
and immediately sent for another, which was brought, 
but shared the same fate as the first and second. We 
amused ourselves and the street Arabs in this way for 
a couple of hours, until we had smashed up some twelve 
or fifteen, when that sport became monotonous (the fur- 
naces only cost about eight cents apiece) and we com- 
menced throwing them clacos (copper cents) to see them 
rush and pile up to get them, until we began to think 
the street Arabs were getting more fun out of it than 
we were. The crowd increased until it became a perfect 
throng, men, women, and children all piling into one 
heap, when a general scramble would ensue. 



198 Life and Adventures of 

We next began to heat the clacos. We would make 
them red hot, and then throw them to the sidewalk, 
and it was rare sport to see them grab them and then 
drop them, until at length they hit upon an expedient- 
They would pick them up with the corners of their blan- 
kets in their hands, this preventing them from burning 
themselves. We ran this for some time, until it began 
to be stale, when we got another crotchet in our heads. 
We heated a shovelful of clacos, and dropped them 
down from the balcony, and when the general rush was 
made, we emptied a pailful of flour over them. By 
this time the street was blockaded for several rods by all 
classes of the community, all seeming to enjoy the joke. 
They would look up at us and call out ''mas clacos^ 
We proceeded to heat another shovelful and prepared a 
pail of flour and a pail of water; and first we threw the 
clacos, secondly the flour, and closely following it a pail 
of water, and when we got through I think they were 
the worst-looking set of devils I ever saw. Our suffer- 
ings did not in the least diminish, and we racked our 
brains for new diversion to kill time and drown pain. 

One afternoon I was suffering outrageously, and I felt 
discouraged and desperate. I dressed myself in full 
uniform, ordered my horse (old Selim), and rode out of 
the city alone (I never did take my servant, as I would 
not subject any one else to the risks I ran in those wild 
rides). I took the road forCholula, without any definite 
idea how far I would ride, or where I would eventually 
bring up. When some five or six miles from the city, 
I began to meet peons, packing large sacks of wood on 
their backs, going to Puebla. They viewed me with 
perfect amazement, and one of them exclaimed, '' Do7ide 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 199 

va V. Sefior? " I replied, '* Almost anywhere." They in- 
formed me in their lingo that there were many cut-throats 
and robbers, and that unless I returned, I would be killed. 
But, as I saw nothing alarming, I continued on my 
course, passing en route ma.ny ranches and haciendas, un- 
til the pyramid of Cholula broke upon my vision. As I 
neared the place, it loomed up like some small mountain, 
and anything but the pyramid of Cholula pictured in my 
old school geography. But the nearer I approached it, 
the more regular seemed the formation, and what I at 
first took to be cavities and an irregular surface, proved 
to be the spiral drive that winds to the top. The road 
leading from Puebla to the ancient city of Cholula 
passes to the north of the pyramid, and, as it were, 
through a small gap in a ridge that runs north from it, 
which it was evident to me had some day been a por- 
tion of the pyramid, and that- it had fallen and stretched 
its length on the plain. But more of this in the future. 
I cou'ld not with any safety dismount; consequently I 
did not try to examine the pyramid, but rode straight 
on to the city, which, like Puebla, is situated on a vast 
plain; in fact, the country is one immense plain from the 
base of the Popocatepetl Mountains to the foot-hills of 
the Orizaba Mountains. I rode straight down the main 
street of the dilapidated city until I reached the plaza, 
which lay on the north side of the street. When at 
that point, I drew rein on my favorite and took a survey 
of the place. The sun was just sinking behind the crest 
of the Popocatepetl Mountains at the time. The Mex- 
icans who watched my advent into the town seemed 
staring more in the direction I had come than at me, 
when a series of howls and whistles reached me from 
the populace I soon discovered what it meant. They 



200 Life and Adventures of 

at first were looking to see where my companions or 
escorts were; and seeing none, then for the rush and 
capture, or the death of me. I quietly watched the ex- 
citement for a few moments, when I drew my saber, 
whirled it a few times over my head, in the last rays of 
the setting sun, released old Selim, and in a few minutes 
the city and its excitement were far in the distance, and 
in less than two hours 1 was safely in my quarters, with- 
out further adventure. 

When I asserted that I had visited the city of Cholula 
alone, my statement was far from being credited by my 
fellow-officers who had visited it in company with a 
strong expedition organized for that purpose. But I soon 
convinced them of the truth of my statement by mi- 
nutely describing the road by streams, hills, and bridges, 
the location of the pyramid, and more than all, the plaza 
and some burned buildings on the north side of it, when 
they with one accord said, " He must have been there." 
Conkling, who lay upon his cot groaning, exclaimed, 
" Yes, if he says he has been there, you may depend 
upon it, as the d — d fool goes everywhere safely, when 
one of us would get his throat cut." 

A surprise met me on my arrival at quarters, that was 
very pleasant in some respects and mortifying in others. 
The officer said that a young man had called to see me 
who seemed to have some important business with me, 
and said that he would be back in a short time. I was 
not kept in suspense long, for the visitor was presently 
announced, and to my astonishment my youngest 
brother, John, whom I had left at home in charge of 
affairs, seized me by the hand, the tears rushing to his 
eyes as he did so. The story was soon told. The old 
abolition party, who opposed the war, and threw all pos- 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 201 



sible obstacles in the way to prevent parties from volun- 
teering and to oppress those who had volunteered, had 
got up a scheme against me that frightened my people 
at home, and John had set out at once to seek me and 
communicate the facts. I knew that the whole thing 
amounted to nothing, and cast it at once from my mind: 
But my brother had been hired by the Government as a 
teamster to go through to the City of Mexico, and was 
under charge of the quartermaster, conducting the train. 
They were to continue their march the next morning, 
and poor brother John thought that he was to be sepa- 
rated from me imm-ediately. I accompanied him to their 
camp, sought out the quartermaster, and told him that I 
wanted that teamster and would furnish him another to 
drive in his place. The exchange was made, and I took 
my brother under my immediate charge and kept him 
with me to the close of the war. 

Our Mexican rheumatism still continued to afflict us. 
But there was residing in Puebla an artisan who worked 
gilt ornaments, and whom I had served by filling a 
commission entrusted to me on my trip to the City of 
Mexico, and who had through me become acquainted 
with several of our officers, after which he often visited 
our quarters. On being informed of our condition, he 
called on me and said if I would furnish the cost of the 
medicine he would provide a remedy that would cure us. 
I did not have much confidence in it, but in our extrem- 
ity we were prepared to try almost anything. He 
bought the medicine; it was a transparent liquid and 
very penetrating, and was almost strong enough to blis- 
ter. In this we both bathed our limbs, and the result 
was that in less than ten days we were entirely cured of 
the dreadful scourge. 
H 



202 Life and Adventures of 

CHAPTER XXI. 

MEMOIRS OF THE MEXICAN WAR — CONTINUED. 

N Mexico, the ideas of family residences are unlike 
our own notions. We prefer living on the ground 
floor of our residences; they like to live as high up 
as they can get. My quarters in Puebla were in the 
third story of an extensive building, with stairs lead- 
ing to the roof. I could not utilize one-half of the vast 
structure, so I assigned quite a large portion of it to 
officers of our regiment. There are, as a general thing, 
ornamental balconies at each story of the buildings; and 
that was the case with our quarters. Immediately 
across the street from us lived an aristocratic Castilian, 
whose name I learned was Oueretaro. He was Pres- 
ident of the Mexican Senate, and was absent on his 
official business. We formed a kind of eye acquaintance 
with the family from the opposite balconies, and in a 
short time I was honored with a visit by a boy about 
fourteen years old. He informed me that his name was 
Edwardo Queretaro, and the son of the gentleman who 
lived across the way. He had picked up a very few 
wprds of English, and with my few words of Spanish, 
we managed to understand each other very well. He 
was delighted with our military trappings, such as sabers, 
sashes, epaulets, and many other things which were new 
and strange to him; and, in return, I was much pleased 
with young Edwardo. He was very expert with the 
lasso, and we amused ourselves hours at a time by his 
throwing the lasso and my attempting to guard against 
it with my saber; but I must say I found it impossible 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 203 

to parry and protect myself against his skill. He would 
sometimes catch me around my neck, and if I happened 
to step, perhaps he would catch me by the foot; and, 
when all other parts were guarded, he would frequently 
catch me by the sword arm. 

Things continued in this way about three weeks, only 
Edwardo became so attached to me that he was with me 
two-thirds of the time. At length he became very solic- 
itous that I should visit him. I assured him that I 
could not on his invitation, as I was an entire stranger 
to his family; but before this time he had told me the 
family at home was compo.sed of his mother, a sister 
nine years old, and his Aunt Amelia, who was twenty 
years old. In three or four days after this, Edwardo 
told me his aunt wished me to visit them. I told him 
if I visited their house the invitation must come from 
his mother. The next day he informed me that his 
mother wished me to visit them. Consequently I re- 
solved to do so, as I could not doubt that they were 
ladies and moved in the best society. I took my inter- 
preter and went over, and was introduced by the boy to 
his mother and aunt, as his friend. I remained an hour 
and was delighted with the ladies; but it was hard to tell 
who were the most disgusted with my interpreter, the 
ladies or myself. He all the time indulged in a twad- 
dle about himself, and failed to interpret one-half of 
what we wished to say to each other. When the time 
came for leave-taking, they warmly insisted on my com- 
ing again, and in these words, that the house was mine. 
In return, I assured them that I would avail myself of 
their kind invitation, and that I should bring no inter- 
preter, but that they should all act as my interpreter. 



204 Life and Adventures of 

In the first interview they asked me if I was married, 
and I assured them that I was. But the next day Ed- 
wardo asked the same question of Lieutenant Conkh'ng, 
and of other officers; they; supposing that they were 
playing into my hand, assured him that I was not mar- 
ried, and was only joking with them when I pretended 
to be married. So when I called again, several days 
afterwards, I was warmly received by the whole family, 
and more especially so by Miss Amelia, who took upon 
herself the task of teaching me to speak their language, 
and no one ever had a more zealous teacher. I would 
frequently get off some Mexican phrases, when she 
would check me and say, " Este no Imssna; este lingua 
loti'os induy Time rolled on, and somehow when not 
on duty I found myself with my friends most of the 
time. I was not slow to learn that my little Amelia was 
becoming very fond of me, and, in fact, too fond for her 
own peace of mind. I often said to her, "You must 
not be too fond of me, for I have a wife at home." She 
only laughed at me, and said that she had caught me at 
my trick; that I was not married; for all the officers said 
so; that I was only fooling her. I found it impossible 
to convince the poor girl against her will; therefore things 
went along in their own way. 

Amelia was very pretty. She was of medium height, 
well formed, with a light and elastic step. In complex- 
ion she was a blonde, with a full, deep, blue eye, and as 
fair as a lily; but I do not pretend to dwell on her per- 
fection, further than to distinguish her from the ''greaser " 
horde. I had introduced her to a few superior officers, 
and it was amusing to me to hear Amelia's perfections 
set forth by them. The Spanish are a very jealous 



I 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 205 



race, and she seemed to think I would be of the same 
organization; for she would pass the open window or 
step to the blinds every minute during their call, for fear 
I might be jealous of her. During our acquaintance I 
fell ill. When they heard the fact they sent Edwardo 
over to my quarters and insisted that I should come to 
their house, where I could have better attention than I 
could at my own quarters. I finally complied with their 
wishes, and was with them for over three week.s, and 
though Amelia was waited upon by her own servants, 
she would not allow a seryant to wait upon me. Every- 
thing that I needed came from her own hand. 

As I convalesced, one morning I took a walk in the 
Passo, and had a little chat with an early walker who, as 
well as myself, was out to take the air. She was a young 
Mexican girl of the better class. She arranged a button- 
hole bouquet and pinned it on the breast of my uniform. 
On my return I met Amelia, and as soon as she saw the 
flowers her eyes flashed with fury. She sprang to my 
breast like a tigress, seized the flowers, dashed them on 
the floor, stamped them, beneath her little feet, and ex- 
claimed in her own language, " You have no love for 
me." She seized her diamond-handled stiletto, passed 
it to me, and exclaimed, " Here; kill me; I have nothing 
to live for." I finally got her quieted down, and asked 
her what she meant; that I was not conscious of having 
done anything to offend her or any injustice to her. 
She said that a woman had placed those flowers on my 
breast. I admitted it, but assured her that I gave the 
matter no consideration, and did not know that it meant 
anything more than a little coquetry. But I then, for 
the first time, learned that the Spanish language of 
flowers is more read and better understood than ours. 



206 Life and Adventures of 

After I had quite recovered my health, and was about 
to return to my own quarters, I told her that they had 
been at a large outlay for me, and I wished to compen- 
sate them for my trouble and expense while there. 
Amelia treated my offer with contempt and scorn at 
first, but ^oon changed to a flood of tears and assured 
me that money was the least of her care; that she had 
plenty of money; she threw me her keys, saying, " Here 
are the keys of my coffer, if you want money, help 
yourself; I do not want yours; I did not take care of 
you for money." She was an heiress; she and her 
brother owned three large haciendas, and one fine day 
she asked me to visit one of them with her. I entered 
one of their clumsy carriages, and we drove out there. 
I was amused and yet perplexed at her, for all that was 
to be seen or enjoyed was us and ours. The place was 
a lovely one; the buildings were magnificent, situated 
upon a lovely plateau of about one thousand acres. 
They were of adobe, containing an inner court with plats 
of grass and fountains inside. The whole was inclosed 
with a high adobe wall, with broken glass cemented in 
the top, which all the way around inclosed the premises. 
This was for protection against the assaults of lad rones 
and guerrillas. It was just the place where a man, with 
that beautiful creature, might content himself to while 
away a life-time. She wished me to visit her other two 
haciendas; but I never went out to see them. The whole 
family were good and kind people to me, and at the 
close of the war, when the order came for us to take up 
our line of march, I hardly knew how t'o break the news 
to Amelia; for the four months of our acquaintance 
seemed to her, so she told me, to be as one bright vision. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 207 

But alas ! the parting had to come. I left my Amelia 
in her sister-in-law's arms, in a swoon, and have never 
seen nor heard of her from that day to this. But think 
not that I left her without a pang of remorse, not for any 
perfidy on my part, for I never deceived her, but my 
principal regret was that she loved me so fondly. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

memoirs of the MEXICAN WAR — CONTINUED. 

DURING the time I was stationed at Puebla we had 
had little active service more than scouting and 
keeping that place and the surrounding country in sub- 
jection. Many of the officers who had never visited the 
pyramids of Cholula were anxious to do so, and at length 
we raised a company of commissioned and non-com- 
missioned officers, amounting to about seventy-five or 
eighty, and one fine morning set out to visit the pyra- 
mid and city of Cholula. We swept over the level plains, 
and two hours and a half brought us to the city, where 
I was, on my second visit, in a condition to take notes 
of the place and surroundings, and soon learned what I 
had failed to discover on my first visit, that Cholula was 
the head-quarters of the Catholic clergy. As we all rode 
up to the plaza, I noticed a large number of boys, about 
one hundred and sixty, all swinging censers, and, at the 
head, two mitred priests. They were in two files and 
presented quite an imposing sight. It must have been 
some holiday with them. There was a ditch between us 
and them; I clapped spurs to old Selim, we scaled the 
ditch, and in less time than I am writing it, were at the 



208 Life and Adventures of 

head of the procession. The priests left their flocks in 
great consternation. I drew my saber and bade the 
youngsters (who ranged from fourteen to eighteen years) 
forward march. They were headed for a large cathe- 
dral. I marched them along to the side of the building, 
when I gave the order, " File left; march." When they 
reached the door, I again ordered them, " Single file; 
march." They entered the building, and I sat upon my 
horse until the last one had disappeared, when I sheathed 
my sword, released my horse, and joined my companions. 
Some of them wanted to know what I meant. I told 
them that I just wanted to see how it would seem to 
command Mexicans. 

We then made a general circuit of the town; but could 
see but small evidence of that grandeur we read of at 
the time of the Spanish conquest. There were no moss- 
covered pilesor mound walls to impress the minds of the 
traveler that it had ever been the seat of a mighty 
empire or the home of kings, outside of the vast ruins 
of its pyramids; and to this I never gave my attention. 
I obtained through my interpreter, from an aged Mexi- 
can, this tradition: When the pyramid was intact, it was 
very high; and long ago the city of Cholula was destroyed 
by a vast flow of lava from the crater of the Popocate- 
petl, situated some thirty-six miles west of the city; that 
Cholula was afterwards rebuilt, and, as there was no hill 
to escape to, the people built the pyramid to have a 
retreat in case of another inundation from the fiery flood ; 
that after it had stood for many years, there came a 
great earthquake and shook it down; that before the 
earthquake the Popocatepetl was in an active state of 
eruption, with the lava streams flowing to the valley, and 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 209 

thousands had already taken possession of the pyramid 
as a protection against the burning flood that was ap- 
proaching the valley; and that at the time of the earth- 
quake they were buried beneath the huge pile or crushed 
by its fall. 

I am aware that some historians speak of a second 
and smaller pyramid at Cholula; but as for myself I 
saw but one, and what their imagination has pictured to 
be a small pyramid, I am fully satisfied is but a portion 
of the great and only one. On a close examination, I 
am convinced that the pyramid of Cholula was once at 
least three times as high as it is now, and that it has fallen 
to the north and left quite a long mound, which, if solid, 
would be a cone with its base to the standing part of the 
pyramid. I was more fully convinced on examining the 
corresponding parts of the pyramid and comparing them 
with the fallen portion. It is asserted by most writers 
on the subject that the pyramid is built of unburned 
brick; as to the truth or falsity of this allegation, I can- 
not say, as I could at no point discover any shape 
of adobe or brick; but the principal ingredient forming 
this immense^ pile is a hard clay, resenibling in texture 
the adobe used by the Mexicans in constructing their 
houses; but it is no harder than the uncultivated earth of 
the valley in summer; but there is one thing that I think 
is not noticed by any writer, and that is that mingled 
with the general mass composing the pyramid are thou- 
sands and probably millions of small images of every- 
thing that walks, hops, creeps, swims, and flies, that is 
known to that country. I commenced digging with a 
short sword, and in an hour's time I had dug out of the 
standing pyramid and debris of the fallen portion, at 



210 Life and Adventures of 

least fifty images. They were composed of pottery 
were well burned and in a perfect state of preservation. 
There were deer, bears, wolves, coons, foxes, fish, croco- 
diles, serpents, lizards, monkeys, parrots, ducks, geese, 
swan, chickens, elks, and innumerable types of the 
human family, giving additional proof that the fallen 
remains were but a part and parcel of the original 
pyramid; the images were alike mingled in the compo- 
nent parts of both. I carefully preserved the images that 
I had taken out, and brought them home with me to 
Illinois. Among the balance of my curiosities, over 
thirty years' absence has scattered them to the winds 
and robbed me of my relics, at least so far as I know. 

The location of the town of Cholula was well chosen, 
the soil in the vicinity is fertile and productive, with 
brooks of clean, fresh water wending through the valley; 
and while I say that the town was never of the magni- 
tude that writers claim for it, yet there are evidences to 
show that it has been much larger and more flourishing 
than it is at the present time. After having spent the 
day in investigating the town and pyramid of Cholula, 
our company returned to Puebla without accident or 
adventure further than related. 

At the entry of the Americans into Puebla, or the 
" city of churches," the immense wealth of the clergy 
has been hastily considered, the wealth consisting of 
gold and silver plate, ornaments, and jewels, which 
amounted in value to many millions of dollars. This 
wealth found hiding-places inside and outside of the 
city limits at the time of the capitulation of the city to 
the Americans. The bishop had a palatial mansion 
about three miles south of the city, where it was con- 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 211 

fidently asserted, and doubtless with truth, that great 
masses of the church wealth was deposited, and probably 
a more fitting place could not have been selected. I 
had ofttimcs listened to the tales told me regarding the 
beauty of the grounds and magnificent buildings, and 
curiosity prompted me, on one of my wild rambles, to 
visit the place. It was a pleasant summer day and the 
gates of the grounds were open. I first met a menial 
who told me in their language " to leave." I assured 
him that I would do no harm; that I merely wished to 
see the grounds. He was inexorable, and seized my 
horse by the bit and attempted to turn him about. At 
this, I drew my saber and told him to let go my rein or 
I would cut his arm off He accordingly released his 
hold on my bridle. 

At this juncture a padre came up, who said "that the 
grounds were private and strangers were not admitted." 
I apologized and said I was attracted to the spot by the 
beauty of the grounds and had no idea of interfering 
with private property, and it was sufficient for me to 
know that the public were excluded. Whereupon the 
padre very courteously invited me to dismount, and 
ordered the peon to take charge of my horse. We 
walked together over the most artistically arranged 
grounds that I had ever visited since my arrival on Mex- 
ican soil. There was a beautiful grove of orange trees 
loaded with ripe, yellow oranges, interspersed with green 
fruit and blossoms. On the other side of the walk was 
a large grove of lemon and lime trees; and further along 
the walk was on one side a grove of olives, while upon 
the other side were bananas and other fruits. At the end 
of the walk we came to the baths, which were supplied 



212 Life and Adventures of 

by a large sulphur spring-, and, on invitation of the padre, 
I treated myself to a refreshing bath. The cautious 
padre continued to walk in the shrubbery while I took 
my bath, when he again joined me; but I observed an 
equal precaution by keeping my sword and side arms 
close by me. When fully dressed, we again sauntered 
around the grounds, keeping in the shade, where I spent 
over two hours in a state of perfect bliss, and while there 
I could not help noticing the great strength of the gates 
and towers. On approaching the building, I recollected 
the stories regarding the great church wealth therein 
deposited. I returned to quarters, where I freely con- 
versed with my fellow-officers about the place of my 
adventure, when the matter was dropped and almost 
forgotten by me. 

Probably about four weeks after the adventure last 
narrated, one night about nine o'clock the colonel's 
orderly came to my quarters with a note requesting me 
to call at the colonel's quarters forthwith, on a matter of 
importance. I complied with the request. On my 
arrival there I found about twenty-five commissioned 
officers in attendance, who I soon learned had been 
called together for a business meeting, which had been 
for some little time in session; and when introduced, I 
was requested to pledge myself upon the honor of an 
American officer that, in case I should not be in sympathy 
with the move about being inaugurated, I would not ex- 
pose the scheme, or the name of any individual connected 
with it. To this I gave a qualified consent, stating that 
unless there was something treasonable in it, or involv- 
ing my honor as a man, I would remain silent and 
ignorant of everything that occurred there that evening. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 213 

Upon this promise I was let into the secret o( the 
meeting, or rather organization, which I found to be as 
follows: They had learned, by information entirely 
reliable, that the diamonds and most valuable portion of 
the church wealth at Puebla had been collected together 
and deposited at the bishop's Jiacienda; that some time 
before, the padre had been corrupted by some of the 
officers, and at their instigation had wound himself into 
the good graces of the bishop and the attaches of his 
Jiacienda, and now was resident there; that he, for a 
stipulated fee, was to give the parties in the plot access 
to the inside as well as outside, and that it was, in 
reality, a kind of second Gibraltar; that there was an 
abundance of arms and ammunition, and about twenty 
resolute men to use them; that the plan, as far as devel- 
oped, was that every one there was to make one of a party 
to attack and rob the bishop's hacienda; that each one 
was to take a sobdier's uniform to be worn on the occasion; 
and that no one was to wear any insignia of rank that 
could expose them in case of disaster or accident; that 
each was to arm himself with a musket and bayonet, 
with forty rounds of mixed ammunition in his cartridge 
box; that the expedition should be conducted on foot; 
that the parties should leave the city at the hour of. 
eleven o'clock at night, in squads not to exceed three or 
four at most, and were to meet at a well-known point, 
outside the city, about one mile distant. 

All this was minutely detailed to me, showing that 
their plans had been well matured, and they further 
assured me that in case success crowned our efforts we 
should all be millionaires; that there had been several 
meetings, and the thing had been fully discussed; that 



214 Life and Adventures of 

the attempt was to be made at a time when the bishop 
was sure to be at home, of which we would be informed 
by the venial old priest; and when once in possession of 
the bishop, the rest would be easy. " But," said I, 
''about the old priest; supposing he betrays you?" 
That they did not fear, as the arrangement was made 
that he was to meet them outside the gate, and accom- 
pany them, and that he had been admonished that the 
first signs of treachery on his part would decide his fate; 
that they had held several meetings, and thus far had 
their plans matured, and that their only trouble would 
be to make their way to the underground vaults, where 
they were informed that the treasure was deposited. 
" But," said they, " we have come to the conclusion that 
if we could catch the old bishop, by the threat of cold 
steel, we might easily persuade him to draw the bolts 
that conceal the hidden treasures." I was further 
informed they had been discussing the question as to 
who should lead the expedition, and that they had 
unanimously chosen me in case I would join them in 
the enterprise. 

I was perfectly astounded at the idea of the thing, 
and the cool atrocity contemplated, as well as the propo- 
sition that I should become the leader of a band of 
thieves; for I could not bring myself to look upon it in 
any other light. I told them that under any other cir- 
cumstances I should be very thankful to them for the 
honor that such an appointment would confer, but that 
I could not thank them for such an offer of preference, 
and that, under no circumstances, could I be induced to 
take any part in the matter; that I held a commission 
under one of the proudest Governments in the world, 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 215 

and that full faith and confidence were reposed in me 
by my country; and that I would faithfully discharge 
my duty as a soldier of the great American republic, 
and would never bring a stain upon the grand escutcheon 
of our nation; that I thought the whole thing was ill- 
advised, and that upon serious reflection I did not believe 
that one of them would for a moment think of carrying 
the plot into execution. If I had been astonished at 
the narration of the scheme in which they were engaged, 
I was more astonished at the result of my remarks. I 
saw that I had awakened them to the enormity of the 
offense they were about to commit. I assured them the 
secret was safe as far as I was concerned; that if they 
persisted in carrying out their plan, I should feel myself 
bound by my promise; but I begged them, for sake of 
their own self-respect and for the sake of the reputation 
of the army and our country, to abandon the enterprise 
and forget it; but, if remembered at all, to be only as a 
fevered dream. 

I took leave of the party, returned to my quarters, 
and that was the last of the expedition; but since that 
time and since the close of the war, I have ofttimes been 
thanked by my companions for the stand I took on that 
occasion. 



216 Life and Adventures of 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

MEMOIRS OF THE MEXICAN WAR — CONTINUED. 

ABOUT the latter part of April, 1848, as the war was 
dravVing to a close, there was a considerable force 
of Mexican and American deserters assembled in a large 
hacienda, on the east side of the Orizaba Mountains, 
and were making constant incursions into the surround- 
ing settlements, robbing Mexicans and small detach- 
ments of troops, and we came to the conclusion that it 
was necessary to dislodge them. For this purpose a 
small volunteer force from the command stationed at 
Puebla determined to perform that service. The volun- 
teer command consisted of about two companies of the 
Sixth Illinois Infantry, which, under Colonel Collins, 
composed the expedition. We were to be guided by a 
woman and her son, who claimed to know the country 
and the exact location of the robbers' den, which was 
said to be some forty miles from Puebla. Accordingly 
the command took up its line of march about daylight, 
under the guidance of the woman and her son. Lieu- 
tenant Toleon and myself were to be of the expedition, 
but were detained in settling up some matters in con- 
nection with a court-martial held on the previous day, 
until about nine o'clock in the morning. But, having 
learned that the command would pass 01 route through 
Tepeaca, about twenty-five miles distant, we mounted 
our horses and followed after the command; and, after 
a ride of about fifteen miles, we began to overtake a few 
stragglers in the rear. 
. The first whom we overtook were Lebenstein and a 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 217 



wild Irishman, whom we called the " flying dispatch." 
A Mexican was pleadinp^ with the Irishman to give him 
his sei-ape (a blanket with a hole in the center to go over 
the head). I said to him, " Have you got the Mexican's 
blanket } " seeing he had a Mexican serape hanging over 
his arm. He replied, *' No; shure, I have not." I asked, 
"Where did you get that blanket?" "And is it the 
blanket you mane? Shure, I bought it of Captain 
Wight, and gave him two dollars and a quarther for it." 
About this time another "greaser" crawled out of the 
brush, and, " Si Sefior, la serape es el otros hombres.'' I 
turned to Lebenstein and asked him if that was the 
Mexican's blanket. He answered by an inclination of 
the head. I turned to the " flying dispatch," and advised 
him to give the Mexican his blanket. Whereupon he 
threw it at the Mexican, and exclaimed, " Take it, ye 
murdersome thafe, and bad luck to the day I iver came 
to Mexico, to be robbed by a graser." We ordered them 
to close up on the rear, and riding on soon gained the 
front, and arrived at Tepeaca about three o'clock in the 
afternoon, where we encamped for the night. 

We were within the walls of a town of considerable 
size, all of whose inhabitants were hostile to us, and 
before we were settled in our quarters, news was brought 
in from the rear that one man had been picked off and 
killed by the Mexican marauders. Some eight or ten 
of us remounted our horses, and rode back to where 
we found the man shot and his skull crushed in by a 
rock. Continuing our ride to the rear, we immediately 
gave chase, but took no prisoners. Captain Armstrong 
(not of our command), one of the party, was slightly 
wounded in the leg by an escopet ball. We returned to 
15 



218 LiFK AND Adventures of 

the town, where before midnight there was an alarm, 
and our sentinels were driven in and a general assault 
made upon our camp; but we soon repulsed them with 
but slight loss on either side, one of our men being shot 
in the shoulder, and three of the Mexicans killed. 

The next morning we resumed our march for our 
destination. We marched all day until night, when we 
began to suspect our guides. The woman and young 
man were called to a counsel, when they declared they 
were lost. We placed them under guard and continued 
our march, soon coming to a Mexican hamlet, where 
we found that we were within two leagues of the place 
we were seeking. We pressed a Mexican into our 
service as guide, and continued our march, which had 
become very laborious; the roads were rocky and we 
were winding up through ravines and continuously up 
the spurs of the Orizaba, and ere we were aware, our 
last guide had deserted us; but we continued to follow 
the road, when about two A. M. we came in front of a 
large hacienda, where we halted to make further in- 
quiries. I had dismounted and thrown myself upon the 
ground near the walls of the place, holding my horse by 
the bits, when all of a sudden I heard the report of a 
gun above me, and a bullet struck the ground about 
three feet from' me. My horse sprang back and jerked 
me to my feet, and about this time the bullets from the 
hacienda were rattling around like hail, and it did not 
take us long to learn two things: First, that we had 
found the place we were looking for; second, that they 
had been notified that we were coming. 

It was useless for us to return their fire, as they were 
wholly protected by the walls. The officers held a hasty 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 219 

consultation, and we resolved to force the gate. Colonel 
Collins took no command, but placed Capt. C. L. Wight 
first, and myself second, in command. Wight ordered 
the squad to seize a large bowlder and batter the gate. 
They did so for half a minute, when they found they 
would have to get something heavier, and had stepped 
from the front of the gate when a perfect blaze of fire 
came through the third paneling of the gate, between 
the heavy framework. I ordered up a platoon and 
delivered a volley back at them, and ordered the rear to 
reload; then ordered the second platoon up and deliv- 
ered the second volley through the gate. By this time 
Captain Wight had found a large square timber to use 
as a battering ram, and as all those before the gate were 
stooping to raise the timber, the Mexicans delivered 
another volley through the gate, just high enough to go 
over their backs, one of the bullets striking a man in 
the rank beyond. I ordered the men up by platoons 
and gave them two more volleys through the panels, 
which effectually silenced them. Captain Wight then 
plied the battering ram so vigorously that the gate 
yielded, and we rushed into the hall and through into 
the court yard, where the last of the Mexicans were 
scaling the rear walls. Their leader was a fat Mexican, 
who slipped and fell back; a dozen muskets were leveled 
on him in an instant, but Captain Wight and myself 
threw ourselves between the Mexican and our men, and. 
that saved his life. We made him and several others 
prisoners, and were soon in complete possession of their 
stronghold. 

I forgot to state that during the first firing our surgeon 
came rushing up to me and said, " My horse has broken 



220 LiKK AND Adventures of 



from me, and run in that direction," indicating by point- 
ing his finger. I charged off in the direction indicated, 
and had not ridden more than one hundred yards when 
a gun cracked beneath a bush, a bullet came whizzing 
past my ear, and a Mexican started to run! L charged 
after him and dehvered my holster fire. He evidently 
was a guerrilla chief, as he wore a very rich pancho. I 
had it for many years; it was stolen from me in Placer- 
ville in 1863. I did not find the surgeon's horse. We 
erected a temporary barricade at the front entrance 
where we had broken down the gate, placed our senti- 
nels, and quartered for the balance of the night. The 
Mexicans and deserters kept up a desultory firing all 
night from the brush and outer walls; we could easily 
distinguish the Mexican shots from the whiz of the 
American cartridge in possession of the deserters. The 
old don that we had captured, after finding that he was 
in no immediate danger, became quite cheerful and 
communicative, informing us that his name was Pedro 
Sanchez; that a scout had been sent from Tepeaca 
informing him that a band of Americans was en route 
to attack and sack his hacienda, and that he had made 
such hasty preparations for its defense as he could in 
the short time allotted to him. 

Thus we learned to a certainty that we had been 
betrayed by our guides. The old man denied that he was 
a robber or that he had harbored any deserters, but that 
there was a band of Americans about four miles from 
their encampment in the mountains. The truth may as 
well be told here; we had expected to capture a booty 
of at least forty thousand dollars at this hacienda, of 
which the inhabitants had been robbed. The premises 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 221 

were searched, but no strong box or money was to be 
found. With the notice they had of course that was 
taken care of. The next morning they restored the 
doctor's horse and surgical instruments, and we took 
the old don to Puebla for examination, turning him 
over to the Mexican authorities, the news having reached 
us that a peace had been concluded at Queretaro. 

I found a very remarkable picture hanging on the wall. 
It was in a heavy black ebony frame with French glass 
in front of it. I mashed the glass and took the picture. 
It was worked on silk, and was a marvel of artistic 
needle-work. I made inquiries of the old don regard- 
ing the picture, telling him at the same time that I had 
robbed his establishment of that alone, as I did not 
believe that either he or his kind had mucK use for the 
Holy Virgin. He said the picture was quite famous for 
its antiquity; that it had been wrought by the nun.? of the 
convent of San Domingo in 1675, ^^^ ^^^ taken by his 
father in a raid on the City of Mexico, about thirty years 
before. I have ever since cherished the picture as a choice 
gem of antiquity, and have preserved it in all my wander- 
ings, and it is now hanging in my parlor. The silk upon 
which it is wrought is cracking and giving way under 
the destroying hand of time. 

But I soon had something of more importance to 
attract my attention than Mexican works of art, or pretty 
sefioras. It soon became a fixed fact and known to all, 
that the great war which had been raging between the 
republic of Mexico and the United States of America 
had come to a close, and preparations had to be made 
for evacuating the Mexican territory. 

About the last of May, 1848, as quartermaster, I re- 



222 Life and Adventures of 



ceived orders to prepare my supply train for the march; 
to turn over all my camp and garrison equipages, not 
imperatively necessary for the march, to the quartermas- 
ter-general, that they might be destroyed; to prepare a 
supply wagon for each company, and one for officers' 
baggage 6f each company; also,, as acting assistant com- 
missary of subsistence, to accumulate such provision as 
was necessary for supply on the route; and as ordnance 
officer, to turn over all arms to the general department and 
take receipts therefor. I had about forty-eight hours to 
accomplish this pretty little duty, which would have em- 
ployed a Hercules for a week; but I was young, active, and 
energetic, hardly knowing what fatigue was, and I never 



slept from the time I received the order until we were on 
the march. ' But a little incident occurred, just as we 
were ready to take up our line of march, which I ought 
not to omit. I was in my saddle (and so were most of 
the infantry officers, many of them having purchased 
Mexican horses) when I discovered that the baggage 
wagon of Company K, Second Illinois Volunteers, had 
disappeared. I rode up to the captain of that company 
and rather authoritatively demanded what had become 
of the wagon. He replied that he had ordered it to 
drive on. I addressed a coarse remark to him, and de- 
manded what right he had to order the wagons to drive 
on. He reph'ed with a taunt. Our sabers sprang from 
their scabbards the same instant and we made a rush at 
each other. We had just crossed swords, when Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel Hicks threw his blade between ours, and 
ordered -us both under arrest, and took our swords. 
Here everything came to a standstill, as I was the mov- 
ing spirit of the command, and could not be immediately 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 223 

replaced. The consequence was, the captain was re- 
turned to the rear. The Heutenant-colonel returned my 
sword to me, remarking at the same time that I had 
very much to vex me and he could hardly blame me. 
The captain was kept under arrest for several days, and 
then discharged. The truth of the matter is, he was 
wrong, and I was insolent, and both of us deserved pun- 
ishment. 

At this time I was discharging the threefold duties of 
acting quartermaster, acting a.ssistant commissary of 
subsistence, and ordnance officer of my regiment and 
six attached companies; and I now took charge of Col. 
Charles Bruff 's brigade, he having been breveted brig- 
adier-general, and we were all of General Patterson's di- 
vision, of which Colonel Wyncoop was the acting officer. 
Bruff 's brigade took the advance, and I soon discovered 
that many of the men who had been taken from the hospi- 
tals, and others from having lain long in camp, were giving 
out on the march, and it was necessary that we have more 
transportation. Consequently, I started for the rear, to 
make arrangements for the wagons. I then made a ride 
which I deemed a somewhat famous one, making one hun- 
dred and thirty miles, and only out of the saddle long 
enough to change horses. I had left the quartermaster's 
arrangements in the hands of my quartermaster-sergeant, 
so far as the Illinois Volunteers regiment was concerned. 
On my return late at night, I found my quartermaster- 
sergeant under arrest, by order of Col. James Collins. 
On inquiry I found that a lieutenant had attempted to 
force himself into one of the sick wagons. The quar- 
termaster-sergeant had resisted his effort. The sergeant 
drew his pistol on him, and on complaint of the lieuten- 



224 Life and Adventures of 

ant, Collins had ordered the arrest. Having heard the 
whole facts of the case, I went directly to the colonel 
and requested him to release the sergeant, as his services 
were indispensable to me on the march, and that Ser- 
geant Norris was only carrying out my orders; that before 
leaving I ria;d directed him to keep all persons out of the 
wagons excepting those who already occupied them, they 
then being crowded. In reply he very pompously in- 
quired what authority I had to issue orders. I retorted 
that I had my appointment as brigade quartermaster. 
He said, " I will let you know that I command this 
regiment, and the wagons, and will say who shall ride 
or who shall not ride." I again retorted, " Yes; and with 
all due respect, you may also drive them, but I shall hold 
you responsible for all damages that occur to the service 
through your interference with my duties." 

The next morning I was out as usual, at three o'clock, 
waking all the wagon masters excepting those of Collin's 
regiment, and directing them to wake the teamsters to 
feed and harness. All was ready at half-past five o'clock, 
when we took up our line of march, leaving Colonel 
Collins and regiment in camp, who began to stir about 
the time the rest of the command was starting. I in- 
formed Colonel Bruff as to what I had done, and the 
reason for my action. He said I was right; that if 
Colonel Collins saw fit to take the responsibility of inter- 
fering with my department, the safe way for me was to 
let him alone. I replied to Bruff that Colonel Collins 
had a right to interfere in my business, as he was my 
superior officer, but he was responsible to the Gove n- 
ment for any injury accruing to the service from such 
interference, and that I intended to report him in case 
any damage accrued. It was not long after this conver- 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 225 

sation when an orderly rode up to me with a note from 
Colonel Collins, requesting me to return and take charge 
of the regiment, and bring it up to the rest of the com- 
mand. I handed Bruff the note, and said, "General, if 
you order me to go, I will go; otherwise Colonel Collins 
must come in person and make the request." He laugh- 
ingly remarked, ''Do as you please, it is not my quarrel." 
I then penned a note to Colonel Collins, to the effect 
that if he would come to the front, we would negotiate. 
In the course of a couple of hours, the old colonel put 
in an appearance. It was soon arranged that he was to 
release Norris, my quartermaster-sergeant, and I again 
took charge of the regiment. I found two wagons 
broken down, and the balance of the wagons that I had 
procured the day before were filled with soldiers .who 
thought that poor riding was better than the best walk- 
ing. I ordered them out, and placed some timber under 
the hind axles of the broken wagons, and loaded them 
with hard beef and other light articles, and managed to 
get through \.\\^ pedregal 2X the pass of Alahoya, where we 
camped for the night, and where I made arrangements 
for the balance of the trip, leaving the broken wagons, 
and reported them broken down and rendered useless 
by the interference of Colonel Collins in the quartermas- 
ter's department. For which the colonel never forgave 
me to the day of his death. 

Nothing further occurred of importance until our 
arrival in* Vera Cruz, when one of my wagon masters 
came riding up to me, bare-headed, with a deep sword 
cut in his forehead, the blood running down his face and 
neck. He saluted, and said, " This, captain, is what I got 
for obeying your orders." I asked him to explain, when 
he said that he was taking his train of wagons to the 



226 Life and Adventures of 

custom house for distribution, according to my orders, 
when Capt. Harvey Lee rode up and ordered the 
driver of his company wagon to break the line and drive 
immediately to his quarters, and when the wagon master 
resisted his order, he drew his sword and gave him the 
wound (which was a very serious one). On hearing this 
recital, I put spurs to my horse and rode off in pursuit 
of Lee. I soon found him, and at once denounced him ^ 
as a dastard and a coward. We both drew and would 
have settled the matter right there, but for the interfer- 
ence of a number of officers present. I then rode off, 
and preferred charges against Lee. But the yellow fever 
had just broken out in Vera Cruz, and the army was 
ready and anxious to embark for home, and the charges 
would necessarily involve a trial which would detain us 
and other officers for several days, and at the earnest 
solicitation of the officers I withdrew the charges and 
allowed Lee to be discharged from arrest; which was 
done with great reluctance on my part, as it was a das- 
tardly act on the part of the captain. I have never since 
heard of the poor wounded wagon master, but if he is still 
alive, and this should by chance meet his eye, he will see 
that, though from the condition of things I could not 
avenge his wrongs, at least I have not forgotten them. 
And as to Capt. Harvey Lee, I never saw him again until 
I had been several years in California, practicing my 
profession as attorney, w^hen to my surprise I found that 
he and myself were employed on the opposite sides of a 
case. I learned from him that he had been practicing 
law in Benicia; and in justice to the dead, I will here 
say that when I called him a coward, I did not believe it 
myself. I think he was a brave man, but with much of 
the tyrant in his composition. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 227 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

MEMOIRS OF THE MEXICAN WAR — CONTINUED. 

WE arrived in Vera Cruz about the I2th of June, 
1848. Now all was hubbub and confusion. On 
the breaking up of the army of occupation of Mexico, 
a commissioner had been sent from Washington to assign 
ships for the transportation of the various commands to 
New Orleans, and, as acting commissary of subsistence, 
there was assigned to me the charge of a ship. Accord- 
ingly I reported myself to the commissioner for that 
purpose. The commissioner asked for the date of my 
appointment. On examining it he said, "Yours is the 
senior appointment of all who have applied, and hence 
you will have the choice of ships." Now Captain 
Blanding was the acting commissary-general of the 
command, and had gone aboard of the MassacJmsetts 
the flag-ship, with General Patterson, without reporting 
himself to the commissioner. A brilliant idea struck me. 
I replied, " I will take charge of the Massachusetts, the 
flag-ship." Without a word, the invoice of supplies of 
that ship was made out to me and I receipted for the 
same. 

With my receipts in my pocket, and sailing orders for 
the ship, I repaired to the wharf, where Captain Daniels, 
quartermaster-general, was superintending the embar- 
kation. After warmly thanking me for the efficient serv- 
ice 1 had rendered him, he remarked to me, " I believe 
you are also commissary of subsistence." I replied in 
the affirmative, when he asked me what ship I took 
charge of I replied, '" The MassacJmsetts .'' He said. 



228 Life and Adventures of 

** I guess you must be mistaken; Captain Blanding, as 
commissary-general, will take charge of that" I cor- 
rected him by saying that his was the mistake and not 
mine; that I had receipted for the stores and held the 
nvoice. I further explained the circumstances to him. 
The capta^in laughed heartily, and seemed to think it one 
of the best jokes of the campaign. 

In this connection I may be permitted to say that to 
Captain Daniels' efforts the army was more indebted 
for the safe-conduct of the camp and baggage equip- 
ments of the army, from the City of Mexico to Vera 
Cruz, than to any other one officer. He was active, en- 
ergetic, and untiring in his line of duty. And, by the 
way, I met Captain Daniels in San Francisco about two 
years ago, and I could hardly bring myself to realize in 
the old, decrepit, and hoary veteran before me, the active, 
untiring Captain Daniels of the army in Mexico, in 1848. 
But the hand of time rests heavily on all of us, and the 
probabilities are that he discovered as great a change in 
me as I did in him. 

But to return to my narrative. The captain said, " I 
will send you aboard with flying colors, in my best cut- 
ter. But I want you, if possible, to report yourself to 
the captain of the ship MassacJmsetts, and when we meet 
in New Orleans, tell me how Blanding took the matter.'' 
I gave him my promise, shook his hand, threw a last 
look back upon Vera Cruz, entered the boat, and was 
soon skimming over the bright water to the ship, which 
lay anchored in the roadstead. When I came on board 
the ship, I saw General Patterson, Captain Blanding, and 
a person whom I supposed to be the captain of the 
Massachusetts, all in conversation upon the quarter-deck 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 229 



I approached the trio, and, after saluting the general and 
Captain Blanding, I turned to the captain of the ship, 
and said, " Have I the honor of addressing the captain 
of this ship?" He replied, "I am the captain." The 
general then stepped forward and formally introduced 
me. I then said to the captain, '* I have the honor of 
reporting myself as commissary of this ship." When 
Blanding stepped forward and said, " Not quite so fast, 
Captain Norton. I am commissary here." I saluted, 
and replied, "I believe not, Captain Blanding." He 
changed color, and said with some asperity, " What the 
devil do you mean, Norton?" I again repeated that 1 
thought I was commissary of the ship; adding, that at 
least I had receipted for the stores on board, and held 
the invoice of them, at the same time producing my 
papers, which, of course, ended the controversy. At 
which the general burst into a hearty laugh, and said, 
*' Well, Ca[)tain Islanding, this is a good joke on you." 
Captain Blanding replied, " Well, general, give him full 
command, and we will go below and play chess during 
the voyage." I was at once installed in my new position, 
every order being sustained by the general. 

We had a pleasant trip across the Gulf of Mexico, 
and up the river to New Orleans. After we had landed, 
the officers generally took up their quarters at the St. 
Charles Hotel. There I met General Taylor, Stephen 
A. Douglas, and many other notables. We had a jolly 
time. Some one of the officers referred to the joke of 
the " green sucker " as applied to myself — and heretofore 
explained — when Stephen A. Douglas remarked that 
"a few years ago, the 'green suckers' would come float- 
ing down the Mississippi with their flat-boats loaded 



230 Life and Adventures of 

with corn and potatoes, and when the question was 
asked, ' Where did you come from ? ' the timid reply- 
was, dropping the head, ' I come from Eelanois.' But 
now you ask one of those 'suckers,' ' Where do you come 
from ? ' and he will throw back his head, look you square 
in the eye, and exclaim, 'I hail from Illinois, sir.'" 
And, after the achievements of the Illinois troops at 
Buena Vista, Cerro Gordo, and the City of Mexico, no 
man need to be ashamed that he hailed from the 
" Sucker State." 

Our command w is sent up the river a short distance, 
and formed an encampment until they were discharged 
and paid off And the first thing we knew, there came 
a gang of sharpers from the city, waylaying by their 
runners every soldier who had received his pay and dis- 
charge, inveigling him into some low groggery or den, 
where they would get him drunk and for a few dollars 
get him to sign away his discharge, with an agreement 
and power of attorney to collect back pay, and bounty, 
and all rights and interests that the soldier had in ex- 
pectancy on account of services rendered the Govern- 
ment. This was reported at head-quarters, and we 
received an order to arrest them and turn them over to 
the civil authorities, as swindlers. General Taylor re- 
marked, " I think that as they, just at this time, seem 
anxious to dabble in military affairs, we will give them 
a small experience, just to initiate them; see that they 
are ' bucked and gagged ' for four hours each." And in 
less than two hours there were nine of them rolled up, 
each chewing a bayonet. This caused quite a sensation 
among the civilians; but they were soon pacified on 
Taylor's informing them that, vfithout warrant of law, 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 231 

he would protect the soldiers, and that sooner than see 
them robbed in that way, in defiance of civil law, he 
would declare the city under martial law, and thus pro- 
tect them from a band of thieves. After this I heard 
no complaint of the militia punishment, neither was 
there any occasion for further arrest. 

During our stay in New Orleans, Uncle Sam must 
have footed up some pretty good bills; for about a week 
all was mirth and hilarity in the city. Parties were 
given by the aristocracy of New Orleans c very night, 
and the military officers were all welcome guests; and 
all of the wealthiest inhabitants seemed to vie with each 
other in showing the returned soldiers that they were 
welcome home. But their glorification came to an end 
and vanished like a bright elysian dream, for then came 
the fraternal hand-shaking and heart-burning of separa- 
~tion. The different commands were each sent home on 
their proper lines of travel, arid in many instances the 
parting was like that of the nearest and dearest of kin, 
to say nothing of the hearts that were left and brought 
away from New Ocleans through love's pa.ssion during 
our short .stay there. There was a general order left in 
New Orleans that no expense be spared in transporting 
men and officers to their homes. Accordingly there was 
an agreement entered into with Captain Taylor, of the 
steamer Illinois, to take our regiment up the river to 
Alton The captain agreed to transport us to that point 
and give us en route the best the market afforded ; for 
the men, twenty dollars each, and officers, thirty-six dol- 
lars each, wines and liquors included. We spent a 
glorious Fourth in New Orleans; on the 5th we were all 
aboard and assigned our state-rooms, and on the 6th we 
stemmed the tide up the river for St. Louis and Alton. 



232 Life and Adventures of 

We steamed up the Mississippi for two days without 
an incident worth mentioning. The third day a circum- 
stance occurred that marred the hilarity and harmony 
of the remainder of the trip. The command was under 
the charge of Lieutenant-Colonel Hicks, a small, wiry 
man, weighing about one hundred and thirty pounds, 
while Captain Taylor was a man that stood something 
over six feet, and weighing about two hundred and 
twenty pounds. Hicks had boxed up some specimens 
of earthenware and other novelties that could be easily 
broken; and it appeared he had given the captain especial 
caution regarding them, and the captain had promised 
to see that they were carefully handled. I was in the 
cabin playing a game of cards, when I heard a great noise 
and excitement on the lower or boiler deck, and the word 
was passed up that Colonel Hicks and the captain were 
fighting. I dropped my cards, sprang to my feet, and 
rushed out to the forward deck, when I saw Hicks com- 
ing up the stairs, looking somewhat pale, followed by 
the captain. 

I said, " Colonel, what is the matter ? " " Well," he 
replied, "when I put my boxes on board, I told the 
captain that I wanted them handled carefully, which he 
promised me should be done, but when below I saw the 
men on the lower deck knocking them about in such a 
manner as to break everything in them. I called the 
captain's attention to it, and reminded him of his promise 
to me. He indignantly asserted that I had told him 
nothing of the kind, and I called him a liar." At this 
the captain sprang forward and exclaimed, "And why 
did you call me a liar ? " Upon which the colonel re- 
torted, ''Because you are one." The words had scarcely 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 233 

escaped his lips, before the two men were together again. 
I shoved the captain back, saying, '' If you are spoiling 
for a fight, select a man of your own size." At this, the 
captain with a bound literally sprang over our heads, 
exclaiming, " I will let you know that I am one of the 
red-heads ! " 

I now discovered that the colonel had an ugly cut on 
his forehead. He then called out, " Norton, where are 
your pistols ? " I ran and got my holster pistols and 
placed myself in the gang-way, the captain having run 
to the stern of the boat, as I supposed to arm himself. 
At this time the mate and other officers of the boat came 
up to me and said, " For God's sake, help us to stop 
this." I replied, "Take care of your captain; I will 
vouch for the colonel." I continued, " The captain has 
doubtless gone to arm himself, and as soon as he returns, 
I shall shoot him." The mate rushed off to the stern of 
the boat, but presently returned and informed me that 
the captain would not again interfere with the colonel; 
and, further, that he was then washing himself. 

Thus ended what bade fair to be a most bloody fight, 
as there was a large crew of hands on the boat. But on 
our side there were over three hundred soldiers, well 
armed. The colonel and the captain could not meet 
after this, except as strangers, and it became necessary 
for the management of affairs that each should be rep- 
resented. The result was, I took command, at the 
request of the colonel, and the mate represented the 
captain, and everything went along as usual. In due 
time we arrived at St. Louis. I made arrangements for 
the boat to stop at St. Louis for half an hour, as it be- 
came necessary for me to report to Captain Lyon, after- 
i6 



234 Life and Adventures of 

ward General Lyon, then quartermaster of that post. 
On returning to the levee, I noticed a first-class steamer 
backing out -into the stream. - I bawled out, " What are 
you doing ? Who will debark those men if I am left ? " 
The wheels were reversed, and the boat stood in the 
stream. T said, " Send a boat ashore and fetch me on 
board." In a few minutes I was on her deck. Looking 
about I discovered that the decks were strewed with pigs 
of lead, and at a glance I saw that it was not our boat. 
I rushed to the captain and informed him of my mistake. 
The boat was headed up stream. I said, " Never mind, 
you can land me at Alton. The captain exclaimed, 
"The devil! I am going to New Orleans." I said, 
" Then put me ashore." They again chopped about, and 
landed me. On looking about, I saw our boat, and the 
officers and men laughing, having discovered my mis- 
take. I was soon on board, and before nightfall the 
whole command was safely landed at Alton, where, in 
a few days, all were discharged and I returned to St. 
Charles, where I met my family, and the congratulations 
of my fellow-citizens, when I laid aside my sword and 
returned to private life. 

On my arrival at Geneva, in Kane County, Illinois, 
I heard the cannon boom at St. Charles — a distance of 
two miles — and in a very short time a carriage arrived 
for myself and wife (whom I had met at Geneva), with 
a large delegation of my fellow-citizens, who escorted 
me home to St! Charles. On arriving at the west end 
of the bridge across Fox River, there was a densely 
packed crowd, and I thought I had never found the 
bridge so long, as we were two hours in crossing it, a 
distance of about four hundred feet. And I had by this 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 235 

time learned that gilt buttons and epaulets were at a 
premium in St. Charles. Bonfires blazed in the evening 
and impromptu speeches were made, with a grand ball 
at night. In a word, it was a most gratifying reunion, 
for the most of my company had returned before myself, 
as I had to remain in Alton some weeks before I could 
get my official reports made out and forwarded to Wash- 
ington. I was warmly grasped by the hand by fathers 
and mothers of young men who went out with me, say- 
ing, " When you took my son away, he was wild and 
wayward; but you have returned him a perfect gentle- 
man." With teai^s in their eyes, they thanked me for their 
improvement. And I found that many letters had pre- 
ceded me from the sick and wounded soldiers, even 
exaggerating the kindness they claimed to have received 
at my hands. But as for that, I will let the subjoined 
letter from Colonel Hicks, of Mt. Vernon, Illinois, speak 
for me: — 

Mt. Vernon, 111., April 24, 1856. 
Mj/ zvorthy and ever to be remenibered and respected 
old friend, Capt. L. A. Norton: It was with pleasure, 
indeed, that I, yesterday, read your kind letter of the 
13th of August. When I looked at the superscription, 
I was somewhat surprised. I knew the handwriting, 
but seeing it was sent from California, was a thing I was 
not looking for. On the receipt of your letter, how 
vividly my mind was carried back to that long and 
tedious campaign that we made together. And how 
many reminiscences presented themselves to my mind. 
How fresh it brought to my mind the many sufferings we 
had to witness and endure. When you spoke of the couch 
of the sick soldier, tears involuntarily rose in my eyes. 



236 Life and Adventures of 

Poor fellows! how many of them have reached out their 
hands to me, when I could feel the wet, clammy sweat 
on them and know it was the last, but would try to en- 
courage them in the hour of death. In fancy 1 see them 
now, as we did then, on their beds of straw or blankets, 
laid on a stone or brick floor. We, however, have the 
proud gratification of knowing that they were never 
deserted or neglected by us for a single moment, when 
it was in our power to render them assistance. Our per- 
sonal attention was always at their command; and it 
affords me pleasure to be able to say of a truth, that I 
received more aid from you than from any other one 
officer of my command in ministering to the wants of 
the poor fellows; and those who survive fully appreciate 
it, and the friends and relatives of those who did not 
return, often refer to our kindness bestowed upon them 
when living. In fact, their friends treat me with more 
kindness than I actually deserve. I am treated more 
like a father than a stranger, by them. You ask, then, 
if my thirst for military honor and glory ceased with the 
close of that war. It did, to a certain extent; but, should 
I ask you the same question, with your constitution, 
energy, and dash, I well know what the answer would 
be. . . . 

I want you to let me hear from you often; for it does 
my heart good to keep up a correspondence with you. 
Let us keep it up. After wishing you health, wealth, 
and happiness, I subscribe myself, your old and sincere 
friend and companion-in-arms, S. G. HiCKS. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. ' 237 

CHAPTER XXV. 

SUBDUING A NOTORIOUS "BULLY." 

ON my return from Mexico I found my little wife 
much improved in health. I met her in Geneva, 
the county seat of Kane County, Illinois, at the residence 
of her parents, where I remained several days with her 
before taking her home to St. Charles. About two 
days after my arrival home, an incident happened that 
made me quite notorious in the northern portion of the 
State, and although it may make me appear as a brag- 
gart and boaster, yet this history would be incomplete 
without the story. 

I must preface it by saying that on my arrival in Du 
Page County, Illinois, I made the acquaintance of a 
young fellow by the name of Frederick Lord, a son of 
Dr. Lord; I think I was about one year his senior. It 
was the custom of that country every Saturday after- 
noon to meet on the common and wrestle, and all who 
ever knew me in my younger days can testify that I was 
an expert wrestler; in fact, I threw all the young men in 
that vicinity. I was light, but tall and very active. On 
the other hand Fred Lord was a powerfully built young 
fellow, but with my skill and action I could always 
handle him. Our acquaintance extended over a period 
of more than ten years. When Fred had matured he 
was a perfect giant, standing six feet six inches and 
weighing two hundred and sixty pounds; and for about 
four or five years before the Mexican War he had been 
leading a very dissolute life, horse-racing, gambling, and 
bullying his way through the world to that extent that 
he had become the terror of several counties. 



238 Life and Adventures of 



After I had taken my departure for the seat of war, 
Fred volunteered and went out as a private; and owing 
to his natural insubordination, he had been frequently 
punished, and had imbibed such a hatred to army officers 
that when he returned home he declared that he had 
whipped every officer of the army in Mexico that he had 
met after the disbanding of the troops, and he intended 
to whip Norton and Conkling (one of my lieutenants 
who lived in St. Charles), and then he would be satisfied; 
Fred and I had always been friendly, and there was no 
cause for the threat. But when it was reported to me, 
I sent him word that he had better commence on me, 
as I was the smaller of the two, and perhaps when he 
had whipped me he might not want to attack the other. 

It was Monday morning, and the Circuit Court of Kane 
County was to commence its session that day. The 
Geneva Hotel was packed with people, and about eight 
o'clock I walked over to the hotel to get my morning 
"cocktail." I met J. Y. Scammonds (author of " Scam- 
mond's Reports") and an eminent attorney from Chicago 
by the name of Brown. After some conversation, Scam- 
monds asked me if I made the acquaintance of General 
Taylor (the men were canvassing for Taylor). I in- 
formed them that I had. They asked me when I had 
last seen him. I replied that I left Taylor at the St. 
Charles Hotel in New Orleans, on the 29th of June last. 
Just as I made the reply, Fred Lord stepped out of the 
parlor, where he had been carrying on a flirtation with 
some girls, and said, " Where do you say you saw Gen- 
eral Taylor last? " I repeated, " In New Orleans, on the 
29th of June last." He said, "General Taylor was not 
in New Orleans on the 29th of June last." I replied, 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 239 

" Permit me to tell you, you are a liar, sir ! " At this he 
sprang upon me and struck at me. 

I attempted to fend the blow, and at the same time 
threw my. foot back to kick him; but his arm was so 
heavy and the blow so powerful that I did not entirely 
escape. He struck the upper part of my forehead, my 
head striking some one in the crowd. Bringing my foot 
back to kick him threw me from my balance and made 
it a very pretty knockdown. But it was of such a 
nature that it did not in the least stun me. He knew 
that if he whipped me he must work lively, and at once 
bent over me, and, thrusting his hand in my face, at- 
tempted to gouge my eye out. His thumb nail missed 
my eye but cut my eyebrow. At this I grabbed his 
neck-tie with my left hand, took a twist and sprang up, 
raising him with me, and when we struck the floor again 
it was fourteen feet (by measurement) distant through 
the crowd. 

I retained my grip on his throat, coming on top of 
him; but he had thrown his immense legs tight about my 
loins and had clutched both hands tight in my hair, 
where he held me as in a vise, while my right hand was 
at liberty until it was all stove up. (I remember they 
applied oil of wormwood after the fight, to take the 
swelling out.) Finally I thought to myself, I can't get to 
strike your face to spoil that, but I will mark you anyway. 
So I reached up and clawed down his face a couple of 
times. It looked very badly for a while. At this stage 
of the game I found his hands getting very loose in my 
hair, and some one in the crowd said, " Take Norton off; 
see how black Fred is in the face, " when a man by the 
name of McMear caught a fire-poker and declared that 



240 Life and Adventures of 

he would kill the first man who interfered; that Norton 
could whale Fred the best day he ever saw. (Fred had 
once pounded McMear very badly.) I continued to 
choke him; his hands and legs had become quite loose, 
and I was about to spring from him and stamp him to 
■pieces, when old Uncle Jimmie Brown, the landlord 
(whom no one would strike), exclaimed, " Take him off, 
he is killing the man." 

At this the crowd concluded to release Fred, They 
caught hold of me and in attempting to pull me off 
they pulled Fred up to a sitting posture, but could not 
get my hand free from his neck-tie; so they procured a 
knife and cut the tie, and after throwing a few pails of 
water over him, he came to, and evinced himself satis- 
fied. Though a powerful man myself, I look upon my 
victory as a mere accident, as I could not compare with 
him in physical powers. But the accident had its effect. 
I have many times been in a crowd and have heard men 
say, " That is the man who whipped Fred Lord." 

In this connection I may add that, after a time, Fred 
made his way out to the Missouri River and, at Traders' 
Point, married a French lady who was possessed of 
quite a fortune; but he soon went through with that, 
and when I was on my way to California I stopped a 
few days with my brother, who lived but a short distance 
from Traders' Point, and he and Fred were very good 
friends. My brother told me that PVed was at the Point, 
and was in company with a big half-breed Indian burn- 
ing lime; that he had often expressed a desire to see me, 
saying that I had served him right, for he had no cause 
of quarrel with me. So I finally decided to go down to 
the Point with my brother and call on Fred. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 241 

When we arrived at the Point and inquired for him, 
some of his crowd said he had been gambling the night 
before and was across the street taking a sleep. I went 
over, the crowd following me. (I suppose my brother had 
told them about the affair.) I found him fast asleep, 
and as I walked up to him, he looked like a great giant. 
He was dressed in buckskin, in regular frontiersman 
style, with a revolver and knife in his belt. I shook him 
and called out, " Fred." He awoke, looked me full in 
the face and exclaimed, "Lew Norton, by G — d!" He 
sprang to his feet, took me by the hand and said, '' Here, 
boys, is the only man that ever whaled me; and no man 
ever deserved it more than I did; let's go and take a 
drink." 

I pursued my journey to California, but not more 
than three weeks after the occurrence above narrated, 
Fred got into a quarrel with and whipped his half-breed 
partner. The next day afterward, as he was hauling 
limestone to the kiln, the half-breed secreted himself in 
the brush near the road, with an old-fashioned Yager, 
and when Fred had got past him he fired, tearing an 
enormous hole through the vitals of his victim. Fred 
turned his head and exclaimed, ''D — n you, I would 
make you pay for that if I could live an hour." He 
then fell over on his load and expired in a few minutes. 



242 Life and Adventures of 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

THE RESTORATION OF A STOLEN CORPSE. 

WHEN I returned from the Mexican War I had 
lar^e unsettled accounts with the United States 
Government, and pending the settlement I entered the 
law office of W. D. Barry, Esq., at St. Charles, and com- 
menced the study of law. During my absence in the 
service, Dr. Richards had established his medical insti- 
tut ^ at St. Charles, and, by the way, from that establish- 
ment were turned out some of the most eminent practi- 
tioners of our day, among whom are Dr. Boice, of Santa 
Rosa, Dr. Obed Harvey, and others. 

I had heard many complaints in regard to resurrection- 
ists and body-snatching throughout the adjoining coun- 
try, and one day I was awakened from my studies by a 
party rushing in and informing me that Professor Rich- 
ards and John Rood, one of the students, had been shot 
by a mob, or company of riflemen from De Kalb County, 
numbering about eighty. I dropped my book and, on 
inquiry, learned that a young married woman, the 
daughter of a respected farmer by the name of 
Churchill, had suddenly died in full flesh, and that the 
body had been stolen, the effect of which was to craze 
the mother and so exasperate the father and his neigh- 
bors that, in their wrath, they had armed themselves and, 
in a perfectly organized state, had marched upon the in- 
stitute and demanded from Richards the remains of 
their dead. Richards and the students indignantly de- 
nied having the remains, or knowing aught of them. 
This denial was anything but satisfactory to them, al- 



Colonel L. A. Nokton. 243 



thoLi'^h I have reasons (ov believin<^ that Richards did 
not know much about the affair at the time, the whole 
matter havin^^ been a Uttle private enterprise of George 
Richards, son of the professor, and one John Rood, a 
student. 

The crowd, however, persisted in the demand, and be- 
came very clamorous, while Richards and Rood, who 
stood with their guns in their hands in the door, became 
v^ery insolent, Richards telling the father of the deceased 
that if tlicy did not leave he would have a better subject. 
At this, several shots were fired almost simultaneou?>ly 
b>' both parties. Richards was struck by a rifl - ball in 
the right hand, while his shot-gun was still raised, the 
bullet i)assing through just below the knuckles, out at 
the wrist, and then penetrating his right shoulder, close 
to the chest. Rood was also struck by a rifle ball on 
the right side, the ball following a rib round to the back, 
not entering the chest. Rood survived five or six days 
only, the concussion having caused such internal injuries 
that mortification ended the chapter of his life. 

On my arrival upon the ground, I found the sheriff of 
the county and several prominent citizens attempting 
to quiet the then exasperated rioters, who were deter- 
mined to demolish the buildings, and amid the howl and 
fury it was next to impossible to be heard. Several at- 
tempts having been made by the sheriff and others to 
calm them, 1 saw the condition of things at a glance, 
sprang upon a horse-block and, after several efforts, 
succeeded in making myself heard. I told them that, 
as citizens, we deeply felt and acknowledged the outrage 
that had been committed, and that they had our fullest 
sympathy; that we were ready and willing, in every 



244 Life and Adventures of 

legitimate manner, to aid them in prosecuting the search 
for the body; but we could not, and would not, suffer 
them to go into the destruction of property to gratify 
revenge. I then said, " I have this proposition to make 
you: select from your body a committee of five to search 
the premises, and every bolt and bar shall yield to your 
touch, and if the body is here you surely can find it." 
From the crowd there was a universal acclaim that the 
proposition was fair. They selected their committee. I 
called Professor Hall, son-in-law of Richards, to bring 
the keys of the establishment. The sheriff. Hall, and 
myself went through the whole establishment, prosecut- 
ing the most vigilant search, not neglecting out-build- 
ings, barns, and stables, but nothing was to be found. 
The day was now far advanced. The search was aban- 
doned and the crowd retired. The institution was broken 
up and Richards was removed to Chicago; but this did 
not end the excitement. The public press was full of 
reports and comments and dire vengeance was threatened 
to all who were suspected of having a hand in the out- 
rage. On the other hand, Richards had at once com- 
menced suit for damages, and retained W. D. Barry, my 
preceptor, as counsel. All this had occurred in less 
than a week from the time of the outrage, when one day 
Judge Barry came into the office, evidently with some- 
thing on his mind. He walked the floor for a few min- 
utes, when he suddenly turned to me and said, "Norton, 
I know your sympathy is with those people. Now I will 
give you a chance to show it. You have been to the 
wars and have seen many men killed and have had much 
to do with dead folks. I want to restore that body, but I 
have not the nerve to do it. You are a clerk in the office 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 245 



and they cannot put you upon the stand as a witness. 
I have made every preparation; will you do it?" 

I unhesitatingly agreed to do anything that I could 
to, restore the body. He then gave me these instruc- 
tions. -'At twelve o'clock to-night, go to a certain point 
[describing it] in town, and you will find a span of 
horses and a spring-wagon, with a shovel in the wagon. 
Take the horses and first drive to Geneva [this was a 
town two miles below, on Fox River]; go to Danforth's 
shop, where two men will bring you a coffin. You need 
not speak. Then drive to Cedar Bluff [describing the 
point], where you will hitch the horses. On examin - 
tion, you will see the white bones of a horse's head at 
the commencement of a path, and strewn along the 
path, you will find white bones until it leads you through 
the woods, to the head of a ravine, near Otto Perkins' 
fence; thence follow down the ravine about three-fourths 
of a mile, where you will find the tops of the bushes all 
broken in toward each other. There dig." 

At midnight I was at the point, found the horses 
hitched, untied them, drove to Geneva, and to Danforth's 
shop. Two men emerged from the shop, carrying a 
coffin. They placed it in the wagon without a word. I 
p-lanced at it and saw that the lid was screwed down, 
when I remarked, " Bring a screw-driver." One of 
them soon returned and placed a screw-driver in the 
wagon, when, without another word, I drove back to 
Cedar Bluff, where I hitched the horses, and soon found 
the horse's skull, with other marks indicating my path 
through the woods. I followed it with the shovel on my 
back. I do not remember whether I whistled to keep 
up my courage or not; but as I am a poor whistler and 



246 Life and Adventures of 

a worse singer, I probably kept silent. I found the 
white bones, as Barry had told me, which I followed until 
I reached the head of a dark gulch, the one referred to in 
my instructions; thence down through the tangled brush 
and underwood until I came to the spot indicated, 
where the, bushes were all broken in towards each other. 
There was no moon, but a starlight night. Owing to 
the thick woods and heavy foliage overhead, it was very 
dark. When I commenced digging, I found the bed of 
the gulch very wet and muddy. I had not prosecuted 
my labors very long, until my shovel struck something- 
yielding. I cleaned the dirt away as well as I could, 
put my hand down an i got hold of a sack. I pulled it 
out, found that it contained the body, shut up like a 
jack-knife, having the limbs from the hips bent forward 
so that the face and feet were together. 1 took the 
body from the sack and found that the oozy mud had 
settled all over it. I wiped it off as best I could, shoul- 
dered it, and made my way back to Cedar Bluff. 
There was a small creek of pure water, and I washed 
the body clean I found that they had cut through the 
skin and flesh on the forehead and skinned it down till 
it fell like a flap over the eyes. I placed it back as 
smoothly as I could, preparatory to putting it into the 
coffin; but here was a dilemma! No one had thought 
of a .shroud, and I could not think of placing the body 
in the coffin in a nude state. While revolving the mat- 
ter in my mind, I happened to think of my duter shirt. 
I at once pulled it off and put it on the corpse. I then 
gathered some moss, placed it in the coffin for a pillow, 
placed the body in the coffin, screwed down the lid, and 
drove the wagon back where I found it, according to 
directions. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 247 



Now, I do not believe that I am more cowardly than 
most of the human family, and probably as far removed 
from superstition as any one; but when 1 found myself 
away in the woods, in the depth of night, with all its 
surrounding gloom, trudging along with a cold, clammy 
corpse on my back, I plead guilty to having felt a kind 
of involuntary shudder pass over me, an undefined 
something — not fear, but a species of desolation and awe 
wholly indescribable. 

As I started in to give a simple recital of facts, I 
have wandered a little; but please excuse the digression- 
After hitching the horses where I found them, I pushed 
on toward home, but could not repress my curiosity to 
dodge around a corner and watch to see what would be- 
come of the wagon. I saw a man unhitch the horses 
and drive through Fox River at the ford, making his 
way we'st in the direction of the home of the dis- 
tressed parents and friends of the deceased. I re- 
turned home and thought I would slip into bed and that 
my wife would not discover the missing shirt; but not 
so. She threw her arm over me and exclaimed, " Oh! 
my God, Lewis; what has become of your shirt! " I was 
compelled to deceive her and pretend that I had been 
out fishing; that it had caught fire and 1 had to tear it 
off. 

Two days elapsed, when news came from De Kalb 
County that the missing body had been restored; that it 
was found in a coffin, sitting on the father's porch, and 
that there was great rejoicing. But there was one feat- 
ure they could not understand — the body had a man's 
shirt on, for a shroud! The friends proposed to remove 
it, and put a different shroud on the corpse before the 



248 Life and Adventures of 

interment; but the mother interposed and exclaimed, 
" No! no! the hand that placed it there was a friendly 
hand, and it will be a charm that will protect my child." 
When my wife heard the story, she remarked to me, 
"That, my dear, was your shirt; and had they removed 
it, they would have found your name on the bottom of 
it." There are many living, doubtless, even in this 
State, who knew of the occurrence and have often heard 
the query, "Who restored the body?" and, as it is no 
longer a secret, and after the lapse of a third of a cent- 
ury, I give the world the facts. 



I 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

DEPARTURE FOR CALIFORNIA. 

1 CONTINUED reading law and was admitted to the 
Bar of the Superior Court of Illinois, before Trum- 
ble. Treat, and John Dean Caton. At this time my wife's 
health was so poor that she remained with her mother 
constantly. A household counsel was called, and it was 
finally arranged that I should let her remain with her 
mother. I divided my property with her, paid for a di- 
vorce, and prepared to leave for California. (This was 
my second trip, the first being uneventful.) 

Before leaving for Mexico my wife's uncle came to me 
and, with tears in his eyes, said, " I have to ask a favor 
of you, and I hate to do it, as I know how much you 
have lost by assisting your friends; but I was sued in 
the circuit court, have there lost my case, and want to 
appeal to the Supreme Court. I have a meritorious de- 
fense to the action, and am assured by my attorney that 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 249 

I can beat the case, and you shall never lose a dollar by 
me if I have to sell the last thing I have to pay up. I 
went on his bonds and paid no attention to the case 
after. 

Now I had paid every cent that I was indebted, had 
started my teams a week before, and had told every- 
body that I should start myself the next Thursday, when 
I was brought upstanding by an officer serving me with 
a summons — suit brought upon the appeal bond. I 
went immediately to Howard and asked him what it 
meant, reminding him of his promise. He assured me 
that he meant all that he had promised, and in order to 
protect his bondsmen had turned over all his property 
exempt from forced sale to Dearborn, the sheriff, to 
pay judgment and costs of suit. 

At this time there was a Democratic Convention at 
Springfield, the State capital, about eighty miles distant, 
and the sheriff, county judge, and in fact nearly all the 
county officers, were in attendance as delegates. Howard 
claimed to feel very badly over the matter, while Farns- 
worth, the opposing attorney, gave me to understand that 
unkss I settled the matter before leaving, a State's war- 
rant would be issued against me for leaving the State 
without paying my debts. The county judge being 
absent, they wi^uld of course hold me a prisoner until 
he returned, which would be about ten days, when I 
could be released by showing that I was leaving an 
abundance of property to pay any judgment which they 
might obtain against me. I refused to pay the debt of 
Howard, and they swore out a bench warrant. Howard 
went to Farnsworth and stated his arrangement with 
the sheriff, and asked him not to proceed against me. 
17 



250 Life and Adventures of 

His reply was that I had the money, and he intended 
to make me pay it before I left. Howard reported to 
me what Farnsworth said, and I told him to pay no 
further attention to the matter; that I should leave 
Thursday at noon, and that, unfortunately for Mr. Farns- 
worth, there were not men enough in St. Charles to 
arrest me. I sent a similar notice to Farnsworth. 

The affair was generally talked of, and I had the sym- 
pathy of the community. I then went to Randal, the 
under-sheriff, and said, " Randal, I have lived among 
you for twelve years and have tried to be a good citizen ; 
a child could at any time have arrested me. Now you 
hold papers for my arrest, but this is such a bare- faced 
imposition that I will never submit to an arrest on the 
warrant you hold while I have life to resist, so do not 
attempt it." He replied, " Captain, if that is your reso- 
lution, I am sick." Farnsworth then went to Geneva, 
the county seat, and got two deputy sheriffs to come up 
to arrest me. They called on Randal for the papers, 
but, after some conversation with him, they were taken 
suddenly ill and did not make the attempt. 

Time passed on until Thursday noon, when I mounted 
my horse, in full uniform, my sword by my side and my 
pistols in the holsters, and rode around town, taking 
leave of my friends. I then turned my horse's head to 
the west, rode across Fox River, and ascended the hill 
on the west side. As I passed Mr. Farnsworth's office 
(now General Farnsworth) he was standing in the door. 
I raised my cap and said, "Good-by, Farnsworth; I told 
you I should leave to-day at twelve o'clock," He said, 
" Then you are really going? Good-by, and God bless 
you!" When on top of the hill, which commanded a 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 251 

fine view of the town, I sat upon my horse and waved 
my handkerchief to my friends who stood watching me 
from street corners and balconies, and then pursued my 
journey. 

I had rode less than a mile when I noticed a couple 
of men on horseback, loitering along the road ahead of 
me. I immediately recognized them; they were two 
constables — one, Orange Bayard, whom I had rendered 
many essential services; the other's name I do not re- 
member. I readily comprehended their business. I 
spurred up my horse and rode up between them, and as 
I approached them I said, "How are you, gentlemen? 
Well, Orange, which way are you bound to-day?" He 
replied, " We are going out into the Bur settlement." 
I said, ''Are you not afraid to ride unprotected in this 
murderous country?" to which they returned rather a 
cynical laugh. 

Now my road, in a short distance from where we were, 
turned to the right and theirs to the left. I said, "As 
you are friends of mine I will ride over to the Bur set- 
tlement with you, and protecl: you; but I wish you to 
keep a little in advance. So I rode with them five or 
six miles to the Bur settlement to where there was a by- 
road which led across the country and joined my road, 
some distance ahead. I said, " Now, gentlemen, I think 
you are safe, but you ride on and I will wait here a few 
minutes and watch to see that no harm befalls you, when 
I shall go my own way, as I am bound for California." 
I waited until they had rode beyond all danger to me, 
when I sped swiftly along on my own route, and in a 
couple of hours joined my company. 



252 Life and Adventures of 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

THE JOURNEY AS FAR AS CARSON VALLEY. 

I HAD two four-horse wagons, and our party organ - 
ized,^calling ourselves the ''Rough and Ready Com- 
pany," of which I was unanimously elected captain. We 
pushed along all right to the Missouri River without any 
serious difficulty. But on arriving at Traders' Point, 
where we were to cross the river, we found an immense 
crowd waiting transportation across the stream. There 
was but one small scow, which would only convey a sin- 
gle wagon at a time, and at that rate it would take about 
six weeks to ferry the crowd across tiie river. But the 
man (Stokes by name) who owned the boat entered into 
an agreement with us that he would, with our aid, build 
another boat, and my company was to be crossed first. 
There was also a large Missourian company with ox- 
teams waiting, and I noticed that they were also work- 
ing on a new boat; and at length it leaked out that 
Stokes was playing us falsely, and had made the same 
promise to the Missourians that he had to us. Ours 
was but a small company, thirteen wagons, and we said 
nothing, but kept to work. The boat was completed 
and launched, and before it was through its oscillations 
I sprang into the stern and seized the rudder. My men, 
who understood the situation, sprang into the boat with 
their poles, and I gave the order to shove down to a 
second landing (only a few yards) where one of our 
wagons was ready to come aboard. All was so well 
arranged that before the other party was aware, our first 
wacron was on the boat, and we ran across the river and 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 253 

landed it. Returning, we ran up to the landing to 
receive another wagon, when to my surprise there was a 
big Missouri wagon, with a crowd of men ready to run 
it aboard. They had driven our men and wagon aside 
intending to put their company across ahead of ours. 
The wagon contained sixty hundred weight of corn, for 
feed on the plains, and as it came rushing down the 
bank, I exclaimed, " Push off, boys ! " They did so, and 
as the boat moved out of the way, the wagon plunged 
into the river. 

I called to our boys on the bank to bring a wagon to 
the other landing. They did so; but before we got it 
on the boat a crowd from the Missouri company came 
to take possession of the boat, and a powerful-looking 
young man, who claimed that I, as commissary, had 
issued him rations in Mexico, was at the head. I took 
my position near the bow of the boat, and told the par- 
ties to keep off; that we had an arrangement with Stokes 
that we should be the first to cross on the new boat, 
when Red-shirt gave me the lie. Somehow his foot 
slipped and he fell on the side of the boat. The next 
moment I felt some one buckling a belt around me, and 
I discovered a revolver in one side and a knife in the 
other. I raised the revolver, and fully persuaded the 
crowd to stand back until the boys could run the wagon 
on the boat. 

As my red-shirted friend stepped overboard, I looked 
around to see if I was alone in the muss, when I saw 
Sponable and J. L. Mack, who were both powerful men. 
As I looked around, they exclaimed, " Give them h — 1, 
Cap., we are here." I stood to the helm all that night, and 
the next day until ten o'clock, when our wagons were all 



254 Life and Adventures of 

landed. I then restored the boat to Stokes, and paid 
him a dollar apiece for ferriage of the wagons, which I 
should not have done, as his duplicity got us all into 
trouble. 

Now all went well with us until, far out on the plains, 
they began to find fault with me as captain of the train. 
And it was not long until there was not a man, woman, 
or child but what knew more about encamping and camp- 
life generally than I did. There was constant quarrel- 
ing and bickering among them, with innumerable lies, 
which prejudiced them one against another until the 
best of friends were ready to fight. At length we over- 
took some Dutchmen, v/ith several head of cattle, and 
the Indians were hanging on their flank-. These men, 
for some cause, had been separated from their company; 
I have forgotten how it happened, but I saw that the 
Indians intended to rob and probably murder them. I 
told them that I would regulate our travel to their pace 
until they could fall in with some other company, or to 
a place where it was safe for them to encamp until they, 
should be overtaken by ox-teams. 

This proposition met with a most stubborn opposition 
by my company. Some asserted that I was crazy, to 
take those Dutchmen on my back, and others proposed 
to depose me and elect a man by the name of White, 
who had crossed the plains before. I was indignant to 
think that my company wanted to leave the unprotected 
men to their fate, and told them to go on, if they were 
disposed to do so, but I would remain with the Dutch- 
men and share their fate. 

We continued our journey for two days, when I think 
they had decided to elect White that night, and the next 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 255 

day to push on and leave me and the Dutchmen. But 
about noon we came to Shell Creek, where we found 
about three hundred Indians gathered on the bank of 
the Platte River. We had to cross Shell Creek near its 
junction with the river, where there was quite a grove of 
cotton woods along the banks of the creek. The prin- 
cipal band of Indians was on the west side of the creek, 
between where we had to cross and the river, while the 
squaws were further along on the bank of the river. 
About seventy or eighty Indians had swung to the rear 
of our company, thus corripletely hemming us in. I 
saw that they meant mischief, as their bows were all 
strung and the wipers were out of their rifles. 

White's team was in advance, and some of the chiefs 
stopped him, and said they wanted toll for going 
through their country. White gave them five or six 
dollars and they let him go on, which he did, and kept 
going. The next one was Fred Parker. The Indian 
said, " Me chief; me want money." Parker replied, 
pointing to me, '' That is our chief; go to him if you 
want money." I was dressed in uniform as a United 
States officer, and rode with my sword on, and my pistols 
in the holsters. I did this at the request of the com- 
pany, as the Indians had great respect for army 
officers. The chief started to make his demands 
on me, when I drew my sword and charging to the 
rear ordered the Indians, who were closing in upon us. 
to leave the road and take to the river bank, when 
their spokesman, in fair English, told me that they had 
as good a right to travel the road as I had. 

At this I called to the company in advance to seize 
their rifles, and form in line. At the same time I 
whipped out a pistol, rode right up to the Indians, and 



256 Life and Adventures of 

told them to leave the road or I would fire. They 
reluctantly moved off to the river. I then charged back 
to the front and met the chief, who handed me a paper 
(extorted, doubtless, from some one) stating that he was 
a good chief. I threw his paper on the ground, told 
him we ha,d given them corn in payment for the right 
to go through their country (which was true), and that 
they were forked-tongued, bad Indians, and then ordered 
him to the rear of our wagons. He refused to go, upon 
which I welted him across the shoulders with the flat of 
my sword, which made Mr. Indian move as directed. 
When I had started him I rode right in among the band, 
and, with the flat of my sword, drove them like a flock 
of sheep to the rear. All this time I had thirty men in 
line with cocked rifles. I expected to be killed, but I 
knew it was the only chance to save the company. 
When I had driven them across Shell Creek, I ordered 
the wagons to advance, keeping a rear guard to protect 
us until we got out of the way of the Shell Creek 
Indians. Late in the afternoon we overtook White, and 
that night we encamped in a short loop of the Platte, 
where I could defend our position, with our wagons 
drawn up in front as breastworks. There was no talk 
of an election of a new captain that night, nor did 1 
ever hear the subject mentioned afterwards. But our 
valiant would-be captain, White, became the butt of the 
company. 

We continued our weary march across the plains with 
the usual experiences that have been written and re- 
written, and in the course of time we reached Carson 
Valley, poor and jaded — that is to say, those of us wh > 
were not left on the desert to feed the wolves and buz- 
zards. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 257 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

RELIEF TRAIN— A FRIGHT— CROSSING THE MOUNTAINS. 

WE had passed the sink of the Carson River and 
were proceeding up that stream, when we came to 
an encampment in a very pleasant valley, and on inquiry 
learned that it was a relief train sent out from California 
to aid the immigration. We encamped but a short dis- 
tance from the relief train, and I walked over to the 
camp to make some inquiries regarding their object and 
the nature of their supplies. I was soon introduced to 
Gen. James Estel, who I learned was first in command. 
I found him very affable, and apparently ready and will- 
ing to do all in his power to aid immigrants. The sup- 
plies, he informed me, were intended for those who had 
no money to purchase what they needed. 

He then introduced me to Gen. J. W. Denver, General 
Price, and some others holding subordinate positions. 
I then informed him that we could not claim to be with- 
out funds, yet we needed some articles for the use of 
some of our party who were sick, for which I was ready 
and willing to pay. General Estel said, " We cannot 
take pay, but that is all right; make out your requisition." 
I said, "General, shall I make my requisition in bulk or 
by ration ? " He replied, " Oh, make it out in detail." I 
went to camp and made a regular requisition in accord- 
ance with the regulations of the United States army, as 
follows: Twenty men, ten days' tea, 200; twenty men, 
ten days' coffee, 200; twenty men, ten days' sugar, 200— 
and so on until the requisition was filled. I cho.se Will- 
iam Brophey, a .shrewd fellow, and told him to take a 



258 Life and Adventures of 

team and go down to the supply camp and give my requi- 
sition to General Estel and mark what occurred. In 
about two hours Brophey returned, and made his report 
as follows: — 

" I presented your requisition to General Estel as you 
directed. He took it and commenced reading, 'Twenty 
men, ten days' tea, total two hundred pounds; coffee, 
twenty men, ten days, total two hundred pounds;' and 
so on through the requisition, reading all pounds. Fi- 
nally the old general said, *I don't understand this; take 
it to General Denver.' I handed it to General Denver, 
who it seems was issuing commissary, and he read it the 
same as General Estel, — instead of number of rations, 
as carried out, he read it all pounds. But they were 
puzzled to know why you had put all two hundred pounds 
— tea, coffee, pickles, and potatoes. They called in 
General Price; he read it the same. They finally said to 
me, Ts your captain a military man ? ' I informed them 
he was; that he had served almost fourteen months in 
Mexico, and then added, ' I think the captain intends 
the two hundred at the right hand as the total number 
of rations, and not pounds.' General Estel said, *Ah! 
yes, yes, I understand it; twenty men, ten days, two 
hundred rations; yes, yes, that's all right; General Denver^ 
issue the rations.' " 

General Denver did issue the rations, and in addition, 
I received a very polite note from General Estel, saying 
that they had issued on my requisition, but they were 
sorry that, owing to their limited means, they were not 
able to fill it. And now the cream of the joke was, they 
had issued at least four times what my requisition called 
for; thus proving to my satisfaction that the military 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 259 

lights of California, whatever they might be in other 
respects, did not know the vakie of a regulation ration. 
In after time I had lots of fun with Estel regarding the 
commissary department of his expedition for the relief 
of immigrants on the plains, in 1852. But the next 
year, in Sacramento City, we compromised the ration 
business.. I was never to tell the story on him, and he 
was to treat whenever we met. 

We rested a few days where we met the relief train, 
and continued our journey. Nothing of importance 
occurred until we reached the lower end of Carson 
Valley, I thinkit wasthe first dayoutfrom Mormon Gulch, 
when I got about the greatest fright of my life. We 
found several camps in the valley where there were 
wounded men, whose wounds had been inflicted by In- 
dians in their attacks on immigrants. From them we 
learned that the Indians were very hostile in the valley, 
and also learned that the attacks had been made from 
the willows and timber growing along the banks of the 
river. 

Now the only grass for our stock was in the valley 
lying along the river, and the stock must have feed; we 
were compelled to let our teams graze there or they 
would starve. We turned them out about sunset to 
graze for the night. But when I called for volunteers 
to guard the stock next to the river, I could not find a 
man who was willing to take that dangerous position. 
1 finally told the men that I would take that post myself. 
Accordingly I repaired to the spot, and continued to 
march between the stock and the brush, with my holster 
pistols. The animals were scattered along the valley for 
about half a mile, and I concluded to march up and 
down between them and the brush until midnight. 



260 Life and Adventures of 

In making my beat I returned to the lower end, where 
I found that some of the horses were close to the edge 
of the brush. I went around to start them back, when 
all of a sudden I saw the willows commence shaking 
and bending right in front of me. My first thought, of 
course, was Indians. I cocked my pistols, presented 
them at the point of commotion, and commenced run- 
ning backwards, expecting momentarily to feel the point 
of an arrow. Presently I struck my heel against a little 
hillock and keeled over on the ground. I did not attempt 
to rise, but kept my eyes steadily fixed on the brush. 
But the shaking of the brush soon stopped, and I saw 
one of my horses walking out onto the open ground. 
In an instant I recognized the cause of my fright. To 
the horse was attached a long lariat, which had got 
caught in the willows, causing the commotion. I got up, 
and after thinking over my ludicrous position, I had to 
laugh over the farce, but thought I would keep it to my- 
self The next morning I was congratulated by my men 
on having my scalp-lock preserved: but the joke was too 
good to keep, and in a few days I related my adventure, 
which caused great merriment in camp. 
• We continued our journey to the upper end of the 
valley, where there were some settlers. Here I found 
Captains Bolch and Parker, with a drove of cattle which 
they had brought across the plains; and they had en- 
camped to rest the stock. I made an arrangement with 
them to leave my teams and wagons in their care, and 
took my riding-horse and joined a company of horse- 
men to cross the mountains to California by way of old 
Emigrant Canon, where hundreds of wagons had passed. 
And such a road! Many places the wagons had to be 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 261 

lifted over big bowlders, three or four feet high. After 
getting through the canon proper, we reached a lovely 
valley, through which a beautiful mountain stream 
flowed, one of the sources of Carson River. The valley 
was a regular amphitheater, the mountain walls reaching 
nearly three-fourths of th-j way around it. All was 
green and beautiful in the valley, while the lofty range 
that surrounds it was capped in perpetual snow. 

I wandered up a small stream at the east end of the 
valley, where I discovered immense deposits of marble. 
The marble bowlders in the head of the stream had been 
washed for ages by the water as it had been poured 
upon them by the rushing mountain torrent, until they 
had received a polish that could not be surpassed by the 
most ingenious workman, bringing to view all their 
inherent beauties. Whether the quarry has since been 
utilized or not, I have never learned. 

From this place we wended our way up a steep mount- 
ain until we reached the summit of the Sierras. We had 
passed the summit but a short distance when we came 
into an immense field of small red flowers, many of them 
just peeping upthrough the snow. I mention this because 
these hardy little plants were the only things, save the 
mountain forests, that gave any evidence of vegetable 
life to relieve the eye in this desolate waste. 

We now commenced descending the mountain by an 
easy grade towards the Pacific, and that night reached 
Leak Springs, where we encamped with a large crowd of 
immigrants, all bound for the valleys in California. 
This was the point I had reached in 1850, when I was 
compelled to return, owing to a family of friends having 
lost a husband and father by death. I have omitted 
reference to that trip in this history, as there were but 



262 Life and Adventures of 

few events worth noting, and I have designed to 
record only the most remarkable events in my life. 

As already stated, at Leak Springs we encamped for 
the night, with many other immigrants. There was a 
station at this place, a mere booth of brush and shakes. 
Under tl:l€ counter and about one foot from the top was 
a shelf, upon which was a large cheese and many other 
things, and under this was the proprietor's sleeping bunk, 
or, rather, a nest. Now at that time the western slope of 
the mountains was filled with grizzly bears; and during 
the night a large grizzly came into the place, ate up the 
big cheese, and made off, without awaking the propri- 
etor. This is rather a hard story, but I know it to be a 
fact. I saw the mess he had made by scattering crumbs, 
and also the print of his immense feet in the soft earth, 
as well as the nest where the man slept. A lucky thing 
it was for the store-keeper that he did not awake while 
old bruin was taking his meal. 

This may strike the eye of some one who was present 
at the time, as many beside myself had ocular demon- 
stration of the fact. It occurred about the first of Sep- 
tember, 1852. 

Nothing further worthy of note occurred, and I 
arrived safely in old " Hangtown " (now Placerville). 
Of course at that day I thought of nothing but money, 
and I firmly expected, with my superior genius, that I 
would make the rivers and gulches yield up their treas- 
ures in untold thousands. But there was something to 
be done. My teams were yet in Carson Valley, and I 
must get them over the mountains, and dispose of them 
before finally settling down. Accordingly, after selling 
my ** alkalied " horse, and purchasing what I saapposed 
to be a fresh one, I prepared to resume my travels. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 263 



CHAPTER XXX. 

INITIATED AS A MOUNTAINEER. 

IN a previous chapter, the reader will remember that 
I incidentally mentioned having met Gen. J. W. 
Denver in Carson Valley. After my arrival in Placer- 
ville, I became more intimately acquainted with him. 
He was at that time smarting under the effect of the 
duel between himself and young Nelson, editor of the 
Alta California, which resulted in the death of the latter 
gentleman. 

When I spoke of having to return to Carson Valley, 
he also expressed an anxiety to make a trip across the 
mountains; and it was finally agreed that he should 
return to San Francisco to enlist a party of friends who 
he thought would like to go along, and among them was 
a young lawyer, whose name, I think, was Snyder. He 
was a man of great promise, but was fast going to a 
drunkard's grave, and the excursion was as much to get 
him sobered up as for any other purpose. We had set 
the fourth day of July as the time for leaving Placerville. 

We were going to cross by the Johnson Cut-off, a mere 
bridle train across the mountains, where even the fallen 
timber was not cut from the trail. The entire route was 
an unbroken wild, inhabited only by grizzly bears, Cali- 
fornia lions, and wild Indians. 

Well, the day arrived for starting, but the night before 
I had received a line from Denver saying that his party 
could not get ready for some time to come. But I had 
made full preparations for the trip, purchased what I 
supposed to be a fresh pony, got my blankets, and a 



264 Life and Adventures of 

little sack of provisions, revolvers, and some hooks and 
lines. Thus equipped, I could not wait, as my horse 
would soon "eat his head off" in those days; and, 
besides, I was anxious for my teams. Consequently, I 
set out on my journey alone. At about twelve o'clock 
I crossed the American River (south fork^, at Bartlett's 
Bridge, that being the last trading-post on the route. 

I commenced ascending the mountain on the opposite 
side and had nearly reached the summit, when I met a 
lot of my acquaintances who had crossed the plains 
with me to Carson Valley, and were footing it over the 
mountains. Their provisions had given out, and they 
were nearly starved. Well. I opened my provision kit, 
and before their appetites were satisfied, they and myself 
had exhausted my slender store. I then took leave 
of them, and started on my lonely trail, with nearly one 
hundred miles of unbroken forest before me, without an 
ounce of provisions, my revolver and hooks and lines 
being my only dependence wherewith to gain a suste- 
nance. I jogged along on my pony, as I supposed all 
right, when all of a sudden he gave out. Although he 
was fat and apparently in good condition, he refused to 
carry me further, and would have lain down had I not 
dismounted. I soon discovered that he had been 
recently alkalied, and hence the deceptive appearance. 
I let him rest a little, then drove him before me, with 
nothing on him but my blankets 'and saddle, and we 
made a few miles only before the sun went down and 
darkness came creeping over us. We were threading 
our way through a dense forest of lofty pines, redwood, 
and mountain cedar, whose tops reached some three 
hundred feet into the air, and in the gray light giving 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 265 

a dense gloom to all surroundings; but at length I 
thought I saw an opening through the trees to the left 
of the trail. I led my horse in that direction, and soon 
came to a creek with several acres of open ground, and 
found an abundance of food for my used-up horse. I 
removed the blankets and saddle, and tied him where 
he could get all he wanted of food and water. 

I now began to look about for a place to sleep. I 
found a fallen tree about five feet in diameter, with large 
slabs of bark that had fallen from the log. I also found 
some dry poles and placed them one end on the ground, 
with the other leaning against the log; then I laid the 
bark on the poles, thus making for myself a shelter. I 
had plenty of matches, and could have built a fire; but 
then came the question, was it policy to do that? It 
was true it would keep off wild beasts; but, on the other 
hand, it would attract the attention of Indians if they 
were about, and I chose to risk savage beasts rather 
than savage men. So, with my saddle for a pillow, I 
crept into my frail shelter, and placing my revolver 
under my head, was soon in a sound sleep, from which I 
was awakened about ten or eleven o'clock by the crack- 
ing of brush. I grasped my pistols and listened; it 
seemed to be approaching me. I sat up, watching 
further developments, when, all of a sudden, something 
larger than a dog sprang upon the log about forty feet 
from me. I leveled my pistol and fired, when the beast 
did some good running. I did not then know, but 
afterwards ascertained that it was a California lion. But 
that shot rang through the little valley and far into the 
mountains, and if there were any Indians about they 
would be sure to hear the report, and perhaps see the 
i8 



266 Life and Adventures of 

flash. Hence, it was necessary to change my quarters, 
which I did by crawling under the lee of another fallen 
tree, not so good a place as the first, where I spent the 
rest of the night in peace. 

Next morning I was up with the sun, saddled my 
pony, which had had a good feed, tied my blankets to 
the saddle, and once more finding the trail, prosecuted 
my journey. I could travel only at apace of about two 
miles an hour, on account of the horse (which I wished 
to save), but I trudged on until about nine o'clock, when 
I felt very hungry, having had no supper and no break- 
fastas yet. In anopeningamong the pines, where thesun's 
rays penetrated, I found some grasshoppers, which I pock- 
eted and went my way. About noon I came upon the 
bank of the south fork of the American River, at what 
is now known as Strawberry Valley, where I got out my 
fishing tackle and grasshoppers, and soon caught trout 
enough for a good meal. I built a fire, and roasted and 
ate trout until I felt like a new man. They were excel- 
lent, although I had no salt for them. 

Between two and three o'clock in the afternoon, I 
again resumed my journey, the trail following up the 
river; but, as 'before, my progress was very slow, some- 
times leading and sometimes driving my horse before me. 
About an hour before sundown, finding good grass for 
my horse, and a chasm in the rocks for my own nest, I 
concluded to camp for the night. So I cut a fishing 
pole, went down to the stream and took out enough trout 
for my supper, which I roasted as before. By this time 
it had grown quite dark. My den was between a rift in 
the rocks, about three feet in width, and some ten or 
twelve feet long, the bottom being a natural receptacle 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 267 

for leaves and small twigs, which had accumulated to 
such a depth as to make me a nice, soft bed. I now 
commenced to roll in a quantity of loose rocks to fill the 
chasm at my head, which was about five feet deep, and 
then to cover the top with green brush, which I cut with 
my Bowie-knife. When my nest was completed it was 
quite dark, and I seated myself upon a rock to survey 
the scene, which was the most gloomy (yet in some re- 
spects sublime) that I ever gazed upon. The eye could 
not reach the lofty heads of the monarchs of the forest 
that surrounded me; in front of me, not fifty yards dis- 
tant, were three pyramids, to which Cleopatra's Needle 
would be as a cambric needle to a crow-bar, rising 
abruptly from the valley to a height of seven or eight 
hunclred feet, while every brush and old stump of a tree 
was transformed into an Indian, and every rock that rose 
above the surface wore the garb of a grizzly bear or a 
crouching panther, and the sense of loneliness that crept 
over me called to mind Cowper's verse: — 

" Oh, solitude ! where are the charms 
That sages have found in thy face ? 
Better live in the midst of alarms 
Than reign in this horrible place." 

Nevertheless, I got a good night's sleep, and was out 
early in the morning with my rod and line, pulling out 
the finny denizens of the strea.n until I had plenty of 
provisions for my onward trip. I got my breakfast, and 
about nine o'clock went back to my grotto to get my 
blankets and prepare for my journey. But on my ap- 
proach I discovered that my possession was disputed and 
my claim had been jumped, for within three feet of the 
entrance lay, coiled in the sun, a huge rattlesnake, which 
warned me on my approach. Here was an enemy I had 



268 Life and Adventures of 

not even thought of; but since that time, in traversing 
those same mountains, I found them plenty, large, and 
vicious. I attacked my enemy with a club; the contest 
was short, and I was soon in peaceable possession of my 
den. The snake was something over four feet long 
(which is a good size, even for the mountains). 

Again I was under way, and about noon I crossed the 
river at what is now known as Slippery Ford, and fol- 
lowed the trail along the north bank of a small creek 
(which empties into the river) for several miles. As I 
was leading my horse along I saw ahead of me some 
small animal coming in the path directly toward me. I 
halted, drew my revolver, and when it got within about 
thirty feet of me I fired, shooting it through the head. 
It fell in the path; I hastened forward and discovered it 
to be a large groundhog. It would weigh, when dressed, 
ten or twelve pounds. I soon removed the entrails, let- 
ting the skin remain on to keep the meat from getting 
dirty, and hung him on the saddle to balance my string 
of fish; then who was happier than I? 

But it soon become camping-time again. There was 
plenty of grass on the banks of the creek, and in looking 
around I soon found a long, hollow tree, which at some 
time had been burned out at the roots, leaving a doorway 
into which I could crawl. Here I resolved to pass the 
night. As the night closed in it became very cold, 
as I was. then high up the mountains, in fact, upon the 
summit of the Sierras; and in order to keep warm, was 
compelled to build a fire in front of my hole in the tree, 
in defiance of the savages. But I very properly rea- 
soned that they would not be likely to camp where it 
was so cold. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 269 

I found my scalp all right in the morning, and my 
horse where I had left him; and, after breakfast, I again 
pushed forward. But before noon, I met some packers 
and purchased a piece of salt, half as large as a hen's 
Ggg"> foi" fift}' cents. Then I was fixed ! A couple of 
miles farther brought me to where I commenced my 
descent from the mountains; and before sundown I was 
in Lake Valley and across the first summit. Here I met 
a lot of immigrants packing through. They had plenty- 
of crackers, but no meat. Hence a bargain was soon 
struck; my groundhog was put in the camp-kettle and 
stewing in short order, and we all had a feast that night. 
They cooked the most of my trout for breakfast, I re- 
serving a few for an emergency and taking my pockets 
full of crackers. 

I camped the next night at the lower end of Lake 
Valley, and the day after reached Mormon Station, 7'ia 
Dyit's Ravine, in Carson Valley, where I joined a band 
of old mountaineers, who extended to me the right hand 
of fellowship and considered me duly initiated. Since 
that time I have scoured those mountains most effectually, 
and when Green Yarnell and myself wanted to start a 
grizzly bear from his lair, we always went to North 
Peavine for him; and when I have shown my first night's 
habitation alongside of the old log to the boys, they 
always declared that I must have been hunting grizzlies, 
as it was the worst place in the mountains for grizzly 
bears. 



270 Life and Adventures of 

CHAPTER XXXI. 

ANOTHER TRIP FROM CARSON TO PLACERVILLE. 

ON arriving in Carson Valley, I again met my old 
friends Bolch and Parker; found that my teams had 
sufficiently improved to be able to cross the mountains, 
and had arranged to start in a few days on the return 
to Placerville, with my wagons. One day as Captain 
Parker and myself were talking with one of the men 
who owned the toll-bridge across the south branch of 
Carson River, away up near Emigrant Caiion, some im- 
migrant wagons came up where we were conversing. 
The bridgeman stepped up to one of the immigrants 
and said, *' I am one of the owners of the toll-bridge 
about five miles ahead, and I want you to pay your toll 
here." The man hesitated a little and then, while taking 
out his purse, asked the tollman how he should know 
but that he might find a man again at the gate who 
would demand toll. The fellow assured him that he 
would find no one at the bridge, as the Indians were 
troublesome in that vicinity, and the owners had left and 
come to the valley. There being two travelers together, 
the other man asked, " Have you a charter for your 
bridge?" The bridgeman replied in the affirmative, when 
the immigrant paid his toll and went on. 

As they left, the tollman addressed himself to Parker, 
saying, "If those fellows had asked me to show my 
charter [clapping his hand on his revolver, suggestively] 
I would have shown it to them." Presently the fellow 
went away, when I remarked to Parker, " When I start 
across the mountains with my teams, I will make that 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 271 

gentleman show his charter, or else I will not pay to 
cross his bridge." In a few days I was ready to start, 
leaving Eolch and Parker with their stock in the valley, 
to follow in a short time. 

Joseph Stone drove one of my teams and a young 
man, whose name I do not remember, drove the others. 
We went on until we reached the aforesaid bridge, or 
rather two of them close together, when my boastful 
toll-taker came out and demanded his toll. I said, "* Sir, 
have you a charter authorizing you to receive toll for the 
crossing of these bridges ? " He hesitated a moment, and 
then said, "No, I have not." "Then," said I, "I will 
not pay to cross." At this his partner stepped out of 
the toll-house. The first one pulled out a long spring 
dirk-knife and commenced whittling as he talked, lean- 
ing up agiinst a long pole that laid in two crotches, 
making a barrier to prevent driving across the bridge. 
He said he had no charter; that the bridge was not in 
California, as the lines had not been run. I asked, 
"Why, then, did you not get a charter from Brigham 
Young? I have been recognizing his charters ever since 
we reached Utah." I then peremptorily demanded, 
" Get away from there and take down that pole, so I 
can cross, or I will pitch it into the river." He replied, 
"You must not touch that pole, and you cannot cross 
this bridge unless you pay your toll, as this is our prop- 
erty; you shall not interfere with it, and we will defend 
it." I retorted, " Look below your bridge; do you not 
see that it is placed exactly over the immigrant ford? 
I want you to remove your nuisance at once, or I shall 
drive over it." He again replied that I could not cross 
the Bridge without paying toll. 



272 Life and Adventures of 

I then stepped forward and pitched the pole into the 
stream and called out, " Drive on, boys." I remained 
with our two heroes, one of whom said that if they knew 
my name they would prosecute me; that I had taken 
the advantage of them and forced the bridge by supe- 
rior numbers. In reply I said, " I do not think I have 
much the advantage of you, there are two of you and 
but one of me, as my teamsters are entirely beyond my 
reach for aid. So I do not see where the advantage 
comes in. But," said I, " listen to me; in this matter 
I have not acted without an object. So far as my name 
is concerned, you shall have that." I handed him my 
card, saying, " I shall be found in Placerville whenever 
you want me, and now for my reasons." I then referred 
to the boast of some days before to Parker, about 
showing their charter, and also told them what I had 
said to Parker regarding their charter; and clapping my 
hand on my pistol, I said, " I always carry a pass for all 
such charters as yours, and wish you to learn this les- 
son: it is the easiest thing in the world for a man to be 
mistaken. You undoubtedly can boast of being 'old 
forty-niners,' and imagine that all the immigrants are a 
set of submissive cowards; but to rectify that mistake, I 
want you to distinctly recollect that I am an immigrant ! " 

During our controversy, a couple of packers came 
along and crossed the bridge, going to Carson Valley; 
of course they met the immigrant trains and told them 
that the bridge had been forced, and after that no one 
would pay toll. The next day the fellows burned their 
bridge and left, and I never saw them afterward. But, 
by the way, when I came up to the wagons, which were 
awaiting me about two hundred yards distant, I found 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 273 

my friend Joe Stone with my old rifle cocked and a 
bead drawn on the bridgemen. When I asked for an 
explanation, he said, " I did not know but they would 
shoot you as you walked away from them, and I did not 
intend to allow that." 

We proceeded on our journey, and in time, without 
further adventure, we reached Placerville, which, outside 
of San Francisco, was then the town of the State. The 
streets were crowded with people of all classes, and all 
nationalities, and all professions. Men of industrious 
habits were generally in the mines, and those who lived 
by their wits were looking for a chance to make money 
by adapting themselves to anything that might be 
learned easy. Lawyers found a very fair field for their 
wits in defending mining suits, under the district mining 
laws, and physicians were generally employed in their 
legitimate profession. But the preachers; ah! there 
came the rub; what should they do? There were no 
churches; at that day the body was to be cared for, but 
the soul was seldom thought of. Hence, like black 
Othello, they had to own their occupation gone. And 
I have seen many a divine change the pulpit for the 
monte table or the faro bank, while another would get 
up and air his eloquence in a gambling hell, warning the 
occupants of their wicked ways, and if he happened to 
take with the crowd, he would reap a rich harvest for 
the labor thus bestowed. I was intimate with one of 
that class, who often remarked to me that preaching was 
easier than handling the pick and shovel. 



274 Life and Adventures of 

CHAPTER XXXII. 

MV EXl'ERIENCE AS A MINER. 

AFTER disposing of my teams, Joe Stone and my- 
self went down on the south fork of the American 
River, where we purchased a claim and went to work 
mining. The sun was very hot and the shade was cool 
and pleasant, and Joe was a good hand to tell stories; 
consequently sometimes the claim did not pay very well, 
and we came to the conclusion that the thing would not 
pay anyhow\ So I bought Joe out, and he sought other^ 
fields of labor. I soon sold the claim and took up other 
claims, all of which I sold to " forty-niners." I would not 
sell an i mm grant a claim. 

After making a few thousand dollars by the sale of 
claims, I finally located what was known as Prospect 
Flat, or rather that was what I named it. I had erected 
a cabin and struck moderate pay. Doctor Morse, P. F. 
Adams, and several others were with me. They had no- 
where else to go. Winter came on — the terrible winter 
of 1852-53. The whole crowd was sick, save '* Doc." and 
myself, and he and I worked our mine to feed the sick 
ones. It paid tolerably well, and when we cleared up for 
the night the only question was. Have we made enough 
to-day to purchase grub for the crowd? when we would 
shoulder our picks and make for the cabin, through the 
slush of snow and mud, all dripping wet. 

Thus we worked the whole winter to supply our com- 
rades with necessary food ; and we were doing well at 
that, as all that winter flour was a dollar a pound ; bacon, 
a dollar and a half a poimd; potatoes, one dollar, and 



Colon i*:!. L. A. Norton. 275 

cverythiiiij^ in proportion. These hii^h prices were 
caused, not by any scarcity or sudden rise in provisions 
in San b^rancisco or the valleys, but ovvin<^ to the im- 
passable condition of the roads. To transport b)' wagons 
was impossible, and pack animals would in many in- 
stances mire down; hence much of the provision was 
broui^ht in on nien's backs, many men fmdinij that mak- 
int^ pack animals of themselves paid better than minings, 
llowever, tiie winter wore away and spring-, with all its 
poetry of birds and flowers, once more dawned upon us, 
and with it the usual prices for provisions. The sick boys, 
having regained their health once more, resumed their 
[)icks and shovels. 

lUit about this time an incident occurred which 
caused me to change my occupation. 1 had organized a 
[nining district known as Prospect J^lat Mining District, 
and had taken up a claim in a gulch; but there were 
three men working a claim below mine, and I could not 
get fall enough to work my claim until they had worked 
theirs (Hit; so I put just the recjuired amount of work 
on my claim to hold it under the district laws. lUit 
when the men below me hatl worked up the gulch to 
the boundary of my claim, they did not respect it, but 
continued to work right along. 1 remonstrated with 
them, but they would not listen to anything I said. 1 
then notified them tliat 1 should call a miners' meeting 
to decide who the claim belonged to. They said they 
did not care for me nor the miners' meeting. '1 hey 
declared that they would not attend the meeting, and 
that they would work the claim or die over it; that they 
came from "Old Kentuclc by (j — d." I told tluMii that 
1 didn't come from " Old Kentuck," and that, like all 



27G Life and Adventures of 

my race, I was a coward; but they had better be more 
careful, as an inva^sion of my rights might make a h"on 
of me. 

On Saturday night I attended the miners' meeting, 
and introduced my evidence showing that I had done 
the requisite amount of labor to hold the claim, when 
the miners decided the case in my favor and offered to 
send a committee to place me in possession of my claim 
on Monday morning. I told them that in case I wanted 
a committee to place me in possession I would call upon 
them; but I would ask the president of the meeting to 
let the secretary go with me, and read the proceedings 
of the meeting to the adverse party. 

Accordingly on Monday morning I was on the ground, 
with my pick, shovel, and long-tom, at work uncovering 
a space to gettothe wash dirt. Charley Barney, a friend, 
accompanied the secretary and myself; and in about 
half an hour my antagonists put in an appearance. 
They came right upon the ground and commenced work 
with me. I quietly notified them that I should not pay 
them for their labor, and they returned the compliment, 
telling me that they would not pay me for mine. I told 
them that unless the Government paid me I should not 
expect any pay. 

After thus working for a time, the secretary having in 
the meantime read the decision of the meeting giving 
me the ground, I said to Charley Barney, "Charley, 
will you help me to set my tom ? " We took the tom 
and jumped down into the trench where they had 
worked to, which was about four feet deep, with a straight 
face up to where they had quit work. As we jumped 
down and took the tom with us, one of the contestants, 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 277 



the leader of the three, a well-made man and six feet 
high, sprang upon the rocks above us with a bright new 
pick in his hand, and it was difficult to say whether his 
black and flashing eyes or the pick shone the brightest. 
He raised the pick and exclaimed, " D — n you, come 
out of there or I will pin you to the rock." Charley 
was down in the ditch; I glanced up and saw a small 
projecting point about half-way up the face of the rock; 
I caught fire and said, " Yes, I will come out." I sprang, 
placed my toe on the projection, and before he was 
aware of my intention, I was at his side, and my head 
was above the point of his pick. He attempted to 
raise it to strike, when, like a flash, I threw my left arm 
around him, seized his pick with my right hand, and 
tearing it from its grasp, threw it down into the ditch. 
And as he attempted to slip his hand into his pocket, I 
momentarily relaxed my hold of his waist and again 
threw my arm around him, pinioning his arm at his 
side. I felt that the man was as a child in my grasp. 

At this moment one of his partners rushed up and 
with one of the long-handled mining shovels struck at 
me a terrific blow. As quick as thought I threw the 
man I was holding right under the descending shovel, 
which must have split his head open had not Dr. Morse, 
the secretary, caught another shovel and raised it so as 
to receive the blow in time to save my man's life. 
When the fellow saw what he would have done, he 
turned deathly pale and sank down upon the grass, 
making no further effort to aid his friend. But an over- 
grown fellow that would have weighed over two hun- 
dred pounds, the third partner, stepped up with a spade 
in his hand and said, " Release that man or I will split 
your head open." 



278 Life and Adventures of 

But by this time I was ready for almost anythinor, 
and the shovels did not seem to me to be more than so 
many straws whirled about my head; and as he advanced 
on me, I exclaimed, " You coward, you dare not strike 
any one," and dealt him a kick that wilted him at my 
feet. Then my " companion-in-arms " be^^an to come 
to his reason and asked me to let him go, as the claim 
was not worth fighting for. I told him that he should 
have thought of that sooner ! " But," I said, " you have 
a plaything in your side-pocket that I want for a min- 
ute." He, without further resistance, permitted me to 
put my hand into his pocket and take out his revolver. 
I removed the caps, threw it out onto the bank, and told 
them all to get out of there. They helped out the man 
I had kicked, and all marched off, leaving their tools, for 
which they returned in three or four days. 

As for myself, in jerking the pick away from the fel- 
low (whose name I afterwards learned was Hendricks), 
I had so strained my right wrist that I could no longer 
use it. Hence I quit mining and went to San Francisco 
to purchase a law library. I called on my friend E. D. 
Baker, who was then practicing law with Judge Crock- 
ett, and they kindly assisted me in selecting my books, 
when I returned to Placerville, stuck out my shingle, 
and commenced the practice of law. But it was many 
months before my arm got well, as the^ muscles were 
badly strained. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 279 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 

LAWYER AND MERCHANT— UNCLE IJILLV'S LARCENY. 

AFTER practicing- a while, I was compelled to take a 
stock of goods, on which I had advanced money, 
and for some time I ran an auction and commission 
business, in connection with my legal profession. But 
after trying to conduct both for a time, I came to the 
conclusion that I had too many irons in the fire, and 
disposed of my goods. 

But while I was still trying to conduct a mercantile 
business in connection with the legal profession, a happy- 
faced old gentleman came into my store one day and 
wished to know if my name was Norton. I informed 
him that it was. "Well," said the old gentleman, "I 
have got into a little trouble and John Frink told me to 
come and employ you and you would get me out of it." 
I replied that I thanked my friend Frink for his confi- 
dence in my ability. I then asked him his name. He 
said his name was Billy Sutton, but they all called him 
Uncle Billy. "Well," I said, "Uncle Billy, what is the 
nature of your case?" He replied, "They have arrested 
me for stealing Aunty Crowley's turkey." I said, " Well, 
Uncle Billy, did you steal Aunty Crowley's turkey?" 
He said, "Yes." "Well," said I, "can they prove it?" 
"Yes," said he, "there was a man with me when I took 
it, and they have got him for a witness." "Well," said 
I, "how do you expect me to clear you when they have 
an eye-witness to your guilt?" He said, "I don't know, 
only Frink told me to employ you and you would get 
me out of it." I then interrogated him further and 



280 Life and Adventures of 

found that he had been to Placerville and got "pretty 
full," and in returning to his cabin he saw the turkey 
on the fence antl conchided, "just for a lark," to take 
the turkey, and himself and friends would have a "bit 
of a feast," never thinking that the turkey was worth 
five dollars. He told the young man who was with 
him to wait and he would get the turkey. He said it 
was all done by moonlight. He got the turkey and 
they made their way home; but the turkey being a good 
fat one, it was rather he^ivy and he got his friend to 
help him carry it. 

The turkey was taken home and cooked, the boys 
undoubtedly enjoying the feast. But after a time the 
young fellow "leaked," and x^unty Crowley, learning what 
had been the fate of her turkey, made complaint and 
had Uncle Billy arrested for stealing it; and he was 
then under an arrest and permitted to come and 
get counsel, the boys having bailed him; for, as I after- 
wards learned, they all liked Uncle Billy, and he was 
anything but a thief 

I soon found that they had the young man who was 
with Uncle Billy under summons as a witness and were 
keeping a close lookout for him. The justice who issued 
the warrant of arrest was Esquire Vernon, of upper 
Placerville. He was an old hard-shell Baptist deacon, 
and was very much down on any infraction of the crim- 
inal code. I accompanied my man, Uncle Billy, up to 
the room where I found the court, Johnson, prosecut- 
ing attorney, Cock-eyed Jack Johnson, an assistant (being 
a good friend of Aunty Crowley), and the constable (L. 
B. Hopkins, I believe), Hopkins or Charley Tureman; 
but I am satisfied it was Hopkins. (Novv, friend Hop- 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 281 

kins, if this meets your eye, please excuse me, for you 
know it is every word true.) 

Well, Johnson (^the prosecutor), who was one of those 
well-bred, pompous men, with a f^^reat corporosity, sat 
back in his chair, with his thumbs in the sides of his vest, 
believing that he had the case dead; but for once he was 
destined to learn that "dead things sometimes crawl." 

I walked up to the justice, to whom I was an entire 
stranger, and asked to see the papers in the case. He 
passed them over to me, I examined them, saw that they 
were all in form, that the charge was petit larceny for 
feloniously taking, stealing, and carrying away one tur- 
key, being the property of Mary Ann Crowley, of the 
price and value of five dollars, all of which was, etc. 

I asked that the prisoner be arraigned, and he pleaded 
not guilty. I had before this time had Uncle Billy point 
out to me the witness, who sat on a bench not far from 
the door. I said, "Your honor, we will take a jury in 
this case." A venire was issued and Hopkins went out 
to summon the jury. As soon as he was gone, I stepped 
along to where the witness sat, gave him a tip and walked 
downstairs. He was not long in following. When we 
got to the bottom of the stairs, I remarked, " Well, you 
are the witness who is going to swear against Uncle 
Billy to send him to jail." He began to half whimper 
and said, " I did not want to, but they made me do it." 
I now remarked that it was unfortunate, as I understood 
from Uncle Billy that he had carried the turkey part of 
the way. He said, " Yes, I carried it a piece." 
"Well," said I, " if you send Uncle J^illy below for steal- 
ing the turkey, 1 shall have to send you along to keep 
him company; for, if he is guilty, you d,x^ particeps crim- 
19 



2(S2 Life and Adventures of 

i?iis.'' He said, " What is that?" I answered, "A party 
to the guilt." " Well," he said, " what can I do ? " I 
remarked that, as a witness, I could have nothing to say 
to him; but were he to employ me as his counsel, I could 
tell him what to do. He said, '' Then I employ you as 
my counsel." 

There was a round hill less than half a mile distant, 
and on the other side was what was known as Long 
Canon, that led off in a westerly direction, very brushy 
and rough. I said to him, "All right; 1 will act as your 
counsel. Do you see the top of that hill, yonder?" 
'' Yes," said he. " Then let that portion of the flour- 
sack on the opposite side to your face disappear behind 
that hill as soon as your legs and God will let it be done.". 
He said, "They will see me." I replied that the coast 
was clear, and bade him go. And it was one of the 
prettiest against time (uphill at that) that I ever saw. 

1 immediately walked upstairs. Cock-eye Johnson 
(or Jack Johnson) saw me return alone, when he ex- 
claimed, " Where is the witness ? I will bet a hundred 
dollars that cuss has run him off." At this he looked 
through the window, through which I was watching the 
progress of my friend, when he exclaimed, " Yes; by G — d, 
there he goes ! " Hopkins had just stepped into the 
room, when he and Jack Johnson took after him; but 
my young racer soon distanced them and they returned 
panting. (Don't think that L. B. was then the venera- 
ble, white-whiskered Hopkins of to-day, in San Francisco; 
oh ! no; he was spry as a cat and lively as an eel.) 

Then the prosecuting attorney arose in dignity and 
addressed the court, asking for a continuance of the case, 
as 1 liad undoubtedly tampered with the witness and 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 283 

run him off, and if he could prove it on me, he would dis- 
bar me, and I would never appear again in court as an 
attorney. When he was done, I arose to oppose the 
motion for a continuance, and ur^ed the court to dis- 
charge the prisoner for want of prosecution. I further 
remarked that " the gentleman prosecuting the case 
pompously tells you, if he could only prove that I ran 
young Whitman off, he would disbar me and that I would 
never appear again as an attorney in court. Now, your 
honor, I ran him off — I did ! but mark ye, not as a wit- 
ness, but advising him as an attorney to a client. I 
found that if any one had stolen Aunty Crowley's turkey 
it was young Whitman who was guilty; and as his attor- 
ney, I advised him to run, and I am happy to say he 
took my advice to the letter and carried out my instruc- 
tions admirably. Now, let the gentleman disbar me if 
he can." The court was indignant and gave a continu- 
ance for two days (that being the extent of one continu- 
ance, and not more than six days in all). 

The same day of the race, in the evening, I received a 
note from my runaway client, then at Coloma (ten miles 
distant), asking me when he could come back; he was 
afraid some one would jump his claim. I wrote to him 
to stay there, as he valued his liberty, until I told him 
to come, and that I would look out for his claim (which 
I did). 

The two days elapsed and no witness ! I again 
moved to discharge the prisoner. Johnson asked for 
another continuance of two days, which was granted. 
At the end of the two days, I demanded trial; but the 
court granted continuance till the statute of rights was 
exhausted, and no witness being heard of, I forced them 



284 Life and Adventures of 

to trial. They introduced Aunty Crowley, who swore to 
the loss of the turkey, ownership and value. They 
introduced several witnesses whose testimony was unim- 
portant (mostly hearsay), and when the prosecution was 
through with the examination, I would ask the witness 
if he knew anything about Aunty Crowley's stealing 
Uncle Billy's turkey, etc. Thus the case went to the 
jury, who acquitted Uncle Billy without leaving the 
jury box, to the great chagrin of the justice and prose- 
cuting attorney. I then directed Uncle Billy to go and 
pay Aunty Crowley for her turkey and make his most 
humble apology for the outrage ; all of which he did, and 
with such good effect that the old lady afterwards declared 
that she did not believe Uncle Billy ever intended 
to steal her turkey; that he was one of the most pleas- 
ant gentlemen that she had ever met; and had she but 
known him then as she did now, she would never have 
mentioned it, for it was nothing but a little freak, and that 
when it was over he would have come and paid for the 
turkey; that was what Mr. Sutton would have done. 

Well, Uncle Billy was one of the fortunate miners. 
His claim turned out to be one of the richest in that 
section of the country, and, as Uncle Billy often renewed 
his visit to the widow's, some of the miners were 
wicked enough to assert that one of two things was 
certain: that Uncle Billy either was paying for the tur- 
key in installments, or else he was hanging around 
to steal another. But it turned out different from what 
they expected; for at the end of six months Uncle 
Billy stole the widow, turkeys and all; and true to her 
opinion of Uncle Billy's honesty, she brought no action 
for the last larceny. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 285 

CHAPTER XXXIV. 

AN EXCITING HORSE-STEALING CASE. 

A BOUT the time of the occurrence mentioned in the 
l\ preceding chapter, a party by the name of Higgins 
came to me and wanted to retain me to defend him and 
three associates, charged with steahng eight head of 
mules and horses. The parties had been arrested in 
Placerville, but the offense was charged to have been 
committed in Sacramento County; hence, under the 
statute, the prisoners would have to be tried in that 
county, and be examined for committal before the near- 
est and most accessible justice. I allowed myself to be 
retained for their defense, and the whole city was very 
indi2:nant to think that I would defend them — even 
threatening to hang the prisoners and their attorney 
with them. Threats were freely exchanged, and finally 
the officers in charge of the prisoners, in their zeal, 
boasted that they would take the prisoners before N. 
Greene Curtis, who was then recorder of Sacramento 
City, where they would be prosecuted by James Hardy, 
the "bull-dog" prosecuting attorney, and Norton would 
get into deep water, where he could neither wade nor 
swim. 

I came to the conclusion that I would block their little 
game, if possible, and get an examination before the first 
justice that we came to in Sacramento County. The 
officers were going to take the prisoners down by stage, 
at five o'clock in the morning. I went to the livery 
stables to procure a team to go to Salmon Falls, but to 
my surprise I could not get a team or horse, for love or 



286 Life and Adventures of 

money. So I determined to take it on foot, beinj^ in the 
full vigor of manhood and very active, and at two 
o'clock in the morning I started out. Now Salmon 
Falls did not lie on the Sacramento road, but on the 
American River, some three or four miles north of 
the road. ' My plan was to get to the Falls in time to 
get out a warrant against the officers for kidnapping, 
before the stage should pass that point. I continued my 
journey at a rapid pace for about twelve miles, when I 
became very sick, as a consequence of want of rest, 
having been up two nights before, studying up the case. 
I was compelled to abandon my scheme and stop at 
a hotel, at a stage station, and go to bed, requesting the 
landlord to call me on the arrival of the stage. 

When the stage arrived I got aboard, and found my 
four prisoners, with their hands bound behind them, 
in charge of two officers. I had subsequently learned that 
the next hotel was kept by a justice of the peace of 
Sacramento County, and finding an opportunity to 
whisper to one of the prisoners, whose name was Wil- 
son, I told him to tell the rest of the boys, when he 
came to the hotel, to insist on getting out to get a 
drink. Accordingly, on arriving at the house, they all 
claimed to be very thirsty and were permitted to get out 
of the stage and go into the house for a drink. T folknved 
the officers with their prisoners into the bar room, and 
asked the landlord, "Are you a justice of the peace 
of Sacramento County ? " He answered. " Yes." I asked, 
"Are you duly elected and qualified?" He replied, 
"I am." I further inquired, "Are you ready to take 
jurisdiction of this case?" He answered, "Yes." 

I then turned to the officers and prisoners and said, 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 287 

"This is the nearest and most accessible justice in Sac- 
ramento County;" and to the prisoners, "You have a 
rip^ht to your examination here, and if you go any far- 
ther you are fools; you have a right to resist, and if these 
men take you any farther by force they are no longer 
officers but kidnappers." Upon this the officers ordered 
the prisoners into the stage; but they refused to go. 
One of the officers, named Murphy, drew his revolver, 
swearing that he would shoot them down if they did 
not get aboard. But before he could make a further 
demonstration, I covered him with a cocked revolver, 
and told him to put up that iron, as he should not draw 
a pistol on a bound man. He then put up his pistol, 
when both officers swore -that they had started to take 
the prisoners to Sacramento, and to Sacramento they 
were going to take them. The prisoners were all young, 
athletic fellows, and tliere ensued one of the most lively 
strufTorles I had ever seen. The officers took them one 
at a time and bound their feet, and by main force i)iled 
them into the coach, when we continued our journey. 

On our arrival at Sacramento the prisoners were taken 
before Judge Curtis, recorder of the city, whereupon I 
moved to dismiss the prisoners, as the court had no 
jurisdiction of the case, and the court sustained my 
motion. Hardy, the prosecuting attorney, asked the 
police to guard the prisoners until he could make a new 
complaint; but in the hurry of writing his complaint, he 
omitted to state the venue, and I again moved that 
the case be dismissed, as the prisoners might have stolen 
the horses in South America, where that court would 
have no jurisdiction. 

The prisoners were again discharged, and were again 



288 Life and Adventures of 

guarded by the officers until Hardy drew another com- 
plaint, and they were once more arrested. Not hav- 
ing the name of the prosecutor before him, he omitted 
to insert his name in the complaint, and I took it up 
and read, " Blank paper being duly sworn, deposes and 
says" — an4 added, " I suppose your honor cares to hear 
no more of this. I move that the prisoners be dis- 
charged." The order was made, dismissing the prison- 
ers, whereupon Hardy swore roundly, and dashed off 
another complaint; this I examined, as before, and found 
that he had omitted to attach any value to the stolen 
property. I read the complaint to the court, and re- 
marked that in order to maintain larceny the thing 
taken must be of some valuer if petit larceny, it must 
be under the value of fifty dollars, and if grand larceny, 
it must be over the value of fifty dollars; but as no 
value was stated, the court must presume that the ani- 
mals alleged to have been stolen were ferce naturce. 
Hence, no offense having been alleged, I asked that the 
prisoners be discharged. 

By this time Hardy had become perfectly cool, and 
now said, " Gentlemen, I propose to draw up a com- 
plaint; " and he did. This time the document was in 
every way sufficient, and I demanded an examina- 
tion. The prosecution asked for a continuance. The 
court, after argument, and on the showing of the 
prosecution that there were four others engaged in the 
larceny, that the officers were after them, and that there 
was information that they had been arrested, decided 
that the examination might go on, but should it appear 
that there was evidence in the case which could not then 
be obtained, then he would grant a continuance, giving 
opportunity to produce it. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 289 



The examination was then opened, and the prosecu- 
tion called Murphy, the constable, who was present at 
the arrest, to the stand. He swore that he was present 
and assisted in the arrest of the prisoners; that the 
horses and mules were not found in their possession, but 
that Higi^ins had confessed to the officers and parties 
connected with the arrest that they, the four pris- 
oners, were implicated in the stealinc^, and that the ani- 
mals were in possession of the other four partners in the 
matter. In cross-examining the witness I asked him if 
Higgins, on his first interrogation, had admitted the tak- 
ing of the animals. He replied, "No; at first he denied it." 
I then asked him how he had come to admit it afterward. 
He said that they had put a rope around his neck, drew 
him up on a limb, and let him hang for a while, then let 
him down and asked him if he was ready to confess the 
crime. The accused again told them in reply that they 
had not taken the horses. Then the party proceeded 
again with the hanging, and continued the process until 
the third time, when a full confession was made, as here- 
tofore sworn to. Upon this statc^ment, I moved to 
strike out the entire testimony of the witness, as the con- 
fession had been .extorted by duress. The motion was 
sustained. The witness also swore that the other four 
prisoners were in possession of the animals, and that 
they were expected to be in the next day ; whereupon 
the court continued the case, and sent the prisoners to 
the prison-brig to await the arrival of the other parties. 

I made my way to the brig, and directed the prisoners 
that when their associates arrived they must be entire 
strangers to them, and leave the rest to me. I watched 
the arrival of the other prisoners, and found an oppor- 



290 Life and Adventures of 

tunity to do a little whispering to one of them; told 
him that their companions were on the prison-brig, and 
that the only hope of all of them or any of them to 
escape was in being entire strangers to each other, and 
to tell his companions what I said. 

My insLructions were strictly carried out. The last lot 
employed Abe Ward to defend them. He was, I think 
the most eloquent man I ever knew. I was also retained 
to assist him in their defense. I asked to sever in the 
examination, and to arraign the four men for whom I 
had first been employed as counsel, and continue their 
examination. There was no opposition and the exami- 
nation proceeded. The prosecution immediately called 
the four parties last arrested; each one as he took the 
stand was asked if he knew the prisoners, and each 
answered that he had never seen them until they met 
them on the prison-brig, and knew nothing of them nor 
their antecedents. I again asked that the prisoners be 
discharged, and asked the court to furnish an escort 
of police to guard them out of the city, as they were 
threatened by a mob. The court granted the motion, I 
bade the poor devils good-by, and they departed. 

But it was not thus with the other four; the property 
was found in their possession, and there was no means 
by which we could account for that possession; and Abe 
and myself, after fighting the thing lor three days, had 
the satisfaction of seeing them held for trial, a result 
which I did not expect. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 291 



CHAPTER XXXV. 

opposition to lynch law. 

IN the spring of 1853, society commenced forming^ 
and as permanent settlements were made in and 
about the mines, the civil law began to be appealed to in 
the settlement of difficulties between the inhabitants of 
the country, and during that summer many of us con- 
cluded that the " Hangtown Oak " needed no further 
ornamenting with human bodies dangling from its limbs; 
accordingly we organized, some eighty in number, in the 
interest of law and order, and determined that promiscu- 
ous hanging should be stopped, and that the laws of the 
country should be enforced in all cases, criminal as well 
as civil. 

A short time after this organization was consummated 
one Hughes, living on Hangtown Hill, near Coon Hol- 
low, in a fit of jealousy, killed a man with an ax, both 
of the parties being drunk. The murderer was arrested 
and brought over to Placerville by the civil authorities, 
and lodged in Squire Doyle's office for examination. 
He had been there but a short time when the miners 
from Coon Hollow and the surrounding country gath- 
ered in and demanded the prison er, which of course was 
refused. The parties to our organization were scattered 
through the crowd, and in an unorganized state. The 
justice's office was in a two-story building, on the second 
floor, with a balcony in front. The sheriff and myself 
were quietly left to guard the stairs, while several of our 
organization went out to hunt up the rest and organize. 
We stood upon the stairs while an infuriated mob, con- 



292 Life and Adventures of 

sisting of several thousand, were hooting and howling 
and demanding the prisoner. The sheriff and myself 
firmly held our position, while the more desperate part 
of the mob was thronging the lower part of the stairs, 
and crowding upon us with threats of violence unless 
we permitted them to pass. 

* A big butcher from Coon Hollow, who was in advance, 
attempted to wrest my arm from the banister where I 
had stretched it out to prevent their coming up, when I 
presented my pistol and told him that I would kill him 
unless he desisted. In this manner we held them back 
for about half an hour, when our boys were fully organ- 
ized and made their way through the crowd. A portion 
of them took possession of the stairs to keep the crowd 
back, and the others stationed themselves in the court 
room to insure order, while the prisoner was having his 
preliminary examination. 

Suddenly there was a bed-cord, with a noose, thrown 
over the prisoner's head, and the other end quickly 
thrown from the balcony down among the excited crowd. 
The prisoner was dragged up to the banisters of the 
balcony and in an instant more would have been over 
the balcony and down amongst the crowd, when R. M. 
Anderson (afterward lieutenant-governor of the State) 
jerked a I^owie-knife from his boot and cut the rope. 
We then hustled the prisoner into a small back room 
and thence up a back stairway, where he was disguised 
in a different suit of clothes, which had been smuggled 
in for the purpose. 

We had in the meantime procured ten saddle-horses, 
which ten of our organization mounted and rode up in 
front of the justice's office. One man, of course, did not 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 293 

intend to ride any farther. After fully disguising the 
prisoner, he was slipped down the back way and through 
the store below into the street and amongst the crowd, 
which had entirely surrounded our horsemen; one rider 
slid from his horse and" Hughes, the prisoner, was thrown 
into the saddle. At this he was recognized, and the cry 
from the mob rang out, " There he is ! there he is ! " 

There was now at least ten thousand men in the crowd, 
which literally packed the plaza, and as they rushed 
forward every one qf us on horseback drew our revolvers 
and presented them, when the crowd began to surge 
backwards; and the throng was so dense and the press 
so sudden that men were pushed with great violence 
through the store windows on the opposite side of the 
plaza, causing a fearful crash. We then, with the pris- 
oner, taking advantage of the confusion, charged through 
the crowd and dashed off for CoTo"ma, the county seat. 
We arrived safely, with our prisoner, and I do not think 
that any man was ever more anxious to get out of prison 
than he was to get safely in. To conclude this sketch, 
Hughes was tried, convicted, and hanged at the same 
time that Logan was hanged at Coloma, we having had 
a somewhat similar experience with Logan. 

There was no more lynching in El Dorado County. 
The old Hangtown Oak was cut down and principally 
manufactured into canes, which are carefully kept in 
remembrance of the days of gold excitement, riot, and 
blood-shed. 



294 Life and Adventures of 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 

MYSTERIOUS ROBBERY, AND THE ROBBER'S CONFESSION. 

AT the time referred to in the preceding chapter, I 
was a widower, and had erected a nice dwelh'ng- 
house in the center of Placerville. Before erecting the 
building I had boarded at the Eagle Hotel, kept by Mis. 
E. W. McKinstry, and, by the way, she had a history. 
She had a fine education and commanding appearance, 
was a lady in demeanor, and at the time of her marriage 
with McKinstry was the widow of Professor Webb, of 
Indianapolis, Indiana. She came to California in 1850, 
with her husband, who soon sickened and died. She 
was rather a devotee of the church. Being left with but 
little means, she was compelled to do something for the 
maintenance of herself and little child, and engaged in 
baking pies. Having the sympathy of the community 
generally, she was extensively patronized, and at the 
end of two years had accumulated about nine thousand 
dollars in gold-dust, when a man by the name of Mc- 
Kinstry, rather pleasing in appearance, having the repu- 
tation of being wealthy, was introduced to her by the 
clergyman of her church as being a good and pious 
man. He was represented as one that would make her 
happy and be a father to her child, and his suit was so 
insidiously pressed that she was at length induced to 
marry him. 

The marriage proved to be an unfortunate and un- 
happy one for her. It. came to light that the preacher 
was an unscrupulous villain, and that McKinstry, in order 
to induce him to further his interests, had paid him five 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 295 

hundred dollars. This was the common report, and it 
reached her after the marriage. She also discovered 
that the Eagle Hotel, which McKinstry was erecting 
and which was then about completed, was mortgaged 
for nearly all that it was worth; and in fact, when his 
debts were paid, he was not worth a dollar. Being a 
woman of more than ordinary intellect, and McKinstry 
being a weak but unscrupulous man, she resolved to 
make the best of a bad matter, paid off the incumbrances 
upon the house with her own money, took a deed to the 
property in her own name, and managed it herself. 

She conducted the h-otel about two years, when, from 
excitement and excessive labor, she had very much 
wrecked her constitution and nerves, and she and her 
husband had lived a "cat and dog life." At length she 
found an opportunity to rent the hotel, and sought 
another n sidence. McKinstry came to me and pro- 
posed that if I would let them go into my house, which 
was well furnished, I should have my room and board 
with them as rent, to which I readily consented. 

They had remained several months in my house, when 
the Kern River gold excitement arose, and McKinstry 
decided to go to the new mines. He asked me if it 
would be agreeable to have his family remain in my 
house while he was absent, about four months. 1 at first 
objected to the arrangement, but on his insisting I finally 
acceded to his wishes, and his wife and her little son, 
some twelve years of age, continued to reside in the 
house. 

When McKinstry had been absent some two months, 
two or three letters arrived from his mother and other 
friends, who resided in the East. Woman-like, his wife 



296 Life and Adventures of 

opened the letters, and discovered that he had been 
writing defamatory and scurrilous letters in regard to 
her, at times when they had been having their quarrels. 
These letters were of the most infamous character, as 
evidenced by tfie replies. She came to me crying and 
showed nie the letters, and declared she would never live 
another day with a man who would write such letters 
about his wife. 

Time rolled on, and McKinstry did not return until 
the expiration of eight months. During this time my 
sister and her husband, one Dr. Alexander, a man whom 
she had married at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and who was 
keeping a large drug store there at the time, visited me 
at Placerville. They had been there some two weeks, 
when I thought it would be a good opportunity, they 
remaining in the house with Mrs. McKinstry, for me to 
go and visit a ranch for which I had traded property in 
Placerville. It was situated in Monterey County, and 
the trip occupied about ten days. 

On my return home I found Mrs. McKinstry almost 
crazy, from the fact that she had been robbed, the night 
before, of all her gold-dust, amounting to about seven 
thousand dollars, including a lot of fine specimens and 
some valuable jewelry. Her gold-dust was stored in 
bottles, while the specimens and jewelry were in a small 
tin box, and as at that day there were no safes or places 
of deposit, when McKinstry left she requested me to 
secrete her gold-dust and jewelry. She had made this 
request because of an attempted robbery a few nights 
after her husband had left home. It was between nine 
and ten o'clock, just before I had retired to bed, Mrs. 
McKinstry having gone to bed. She and Livey, her 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 297 



son, slept on the first floor, and the boy came running 
up to my room half dressed, a»d said they heard some 
noise at their bedroom window. 

I quietly slipped out around the house, and as I turned 
the corner I received a blow from a slung- shot, or some 
other missile, that made me " see stars." The blow did 
not knock me down, but staggered me. I turned and 
ran into the house for my rifle, and rushed out again, but 
could see no one. However, on examination, I found a 
wash-tub turned bottom side up beneath their window, 
with a bar lying across it. So the next day Mrs. Mc- 
Kinstry requested me to secrete her dust, specimens, and 
jewelry. I took the gold-dust in the bottles, ripped off 
a portion of the lining in the kitchen and slipped the 
bottles in between the wash-board and the studding, and 
carefully put back the lining as before. It was a story- 
anJ-a-half house, with box cornice. I took the box of 
jewelry and specimens to my room and slipped them in 
between the plate and the rafters, down into the box 
cornice. 

On the night of the robbery, Dr. Alexander had in- 
vited my sister and Mrs. McKinstry and son to go to the 
theater. They had gone from the house some little 
distance, when Dr. Alexander remarked that he had 
forgotten his purse, having left it in the pocket of another 
pair of pants, and he returned to the house to get it. 
He was gone but a few minutes when he joined the party 
again and they together proceeded to the theater. On 
their return home, on entering the house the first thing 
noticed was that the lining in the kitchen was slit, and 
next the gold missing. Mrs. McKinstry went into 
her bedroom to take off her wraps, and there found 
20 



298 Life and Adventures of 



the lining slit in every direction, as in the kitchen 
where the dust had been, and she exclaimed, " Oh, 
my God ! 1 wonder if they have got my specimens 
and jewelry too ! " Telling the doctor where they had 
been secreted, he made search and soon reported that 
they were all gone. 

These were the circumstances attending the robbery, 
and the woman was almost frantic over her losses. I 
did not know what to think about it, but had a vague 
idea that no stranger could have committed the robbery, 
as she did not believe she had confided to any person 
where the money was hid. But as fate would have it, 
McKinstry had arrived the same evening that I did. It 
struck me as possible that he might have come to town 
the night before, and in their absence had perpetrated 
the robbery. And yet I could not conceive how it was 
possible ^for him to have any idea where the treasure was 
hid. His wife refused to have anything to say to him 
when he returned further than to inform him of the 
infamous letters she had received. 

My suspicions were divided between Alexander and 
McKinstry. However, I said nothing to any person as to 
my ideas of the matter, but went quietly, after dark, and 
scattered ashes upon the paths leading to and from the 
house, so that in case anybody should go in or out they 
would leave the impress oftheir feet upon the paths. I be- 
lieved that if any person about the premises had taken the 
money it would have been secreted at no great distance 
from the house. The next morning I examined my 
traps of ashes and discovered that no person had entered 
or left the house by any of the regular avenues. On the 
following morning I commenced a close search of the 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 299 



yard, which was of ample dimensions. In this search I 
was joined by the doctor, my sister, Mrs. McKinstry, 
and her little boy. After prosecuting the search about 
two hours, I took quite a long pole and went to a shallow 
well in the lot, which was about eight feet in depth, con- 
taining nearly two feet of water. 

There had been an old wash-tub sunk in the well, by 
placing some stones in it, to keep it from falling to pieces 
by the drought. I commenced punching info the well 
and also into the tub with the pole, to see whether I 
could feel anything in the bottom, when the doctor, some 
distance off, exclaimed, "I have found it! I have found 
it ! " I immediately left the well and went over to where 
he was, and found that he had turned over a flat stone 
beneath which were two big toads. He commenced 
laughing, and turned it off as a capital joke. I did not 
return to the well, and we soon abandoned our search in 
the yard. 

Time passed by, and when it became known that the 
money was stolen, speculation became rife as to who 
were the guilty parties. In a short time Dr. Alexander 
and his wife moved to Santa Clara County, and there 
established themselves in a hotel. When they left and 
had got as far as Stockton I procured a warrant of arrest 
and had them and everything about them thoroughly 
searched; but there were no traces giving any evidence 
to hold them. 

When the affair had been thoroughly discussed by the 
community at . large, and all the circumstances of the 
robbery were known, it was generally believed that I had 
been at the bottom of the robbery; that I had got Alex- 
ander and his wife there, had disclosed to them the loca- 



300 Life and Adventures of 

tion of the money, and had gone away on purpose while 
they should perpetrate the 'eed, and that I was to share 
in the b^oty. The circumstances were so suspicious 
that I became completely under the ban, and knew no 
way to extricate myself. Mrs. McKinstry was urged 
to have me arrested; but she would as soon think that 
she had stolen the money herself as that I had committed 
the theft, or had any hand in it. 

McKinstry continued to come around, and he and his 
wife were in a perpetual quarrel, she utterly refusing to 
live with him. Finally Mrs. McKinstry requested me 
to institute suit for a bill of divorce on the ground of 
extreme cruelty, he having struck her and choked her 
on several occasions. This I declined to do, on account 
of my having been mixed up in her affairs, but I advised 
her to get a good lawyer and proceed to obtain a bill if 
she so wished. She took my advice, employed W. H. 
Brumfield, and procured a bill. But before proceeding 
she left my house and occupied a room in her hotel. 
There were several parties, including some of the first 
•men of the town, who proposed to marry her; but their 
proposals being rejected, and finding that she thought a 
great deal of me, and considering previous circumstances, 
I proposed, was accepted, and married her. 

We had lived together about a year, when I received 
a letter from my sister, Mrs. Alexander, stating that 
Alexander was the robber; that he had confessed the 
whole thing to her. He said that on one occasion the 
cat had attempted to get through the lining of the house 
where a small hole had been gnawed by a mouse, which 
caused Mrs. McKinstry to become quite excited and 
rush for the cat to drive it away. And knowing that 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 301 

she had the gold-dust stored away, it struck him at once 
that this was the place where it was secreted; so one day 
when his wife and Mrs. McKinstry were absent, he ripped 
off the lining and discovered the gold. He replaced the 
lining, and the night they went to the theater, when he 
returned on the plea of forgetting his purse, he cut the 
lining, then ran into her room and cut the lining there. 
He then took the bottles and set them out under a tree 
near the house, and again joined them and went to the 
theater. On their return to the house, when Mrs. Mc- 
Kinstry discovered that her dust was gone, and spoke 
of her specimens and jewelry, telling him where they 
were, he concealed the box in his coat pocket and re- 
ported them gone. He then immediately went out to 
*' hunt for the robbers," taking the occasion to pour the 
gold-dust into a handkerchief, tie it up and throw it into 
the well. 

He further stated that I had come very near finding 
it, and had he not attracted my attention by unearthing 
the toads, I would have found the treasure; and as it 
was, I punched several holes in the handkerchief. But 
a few days afterward, when all were absent, he ventured 
to take the dust out of the well and put it and the speci- 
mens all into a buckskin sack together, hiding the jew- 
elry under some of the top stones of the well. In case 
of accident the dust and specimens could not then be so 
readily identified. He therefore hid the buckskin sack 
outside the yard. But a few nights afterward, when the 
women thought he was down town, he took the dust and 
carried it to Prospect Flat, about four miles from Plac- 
erville, and buried it in the bank of the South Fork Canal, 
under the end of the bridge where the road crossed. 

My sister then went on to say that she told her hus- 



302 Life and Adventures of 

band that unless he immediately restored the stolen 
property, she would leave him, as she could not live with 
a thief; and that she would notify me at once. But he 
begged of her not to write to me; that he would go and 
get the gold and place it where I could get it. He 
wanted to go to San Francisco and get supplies for the 
hotel, and while on that business he said he would go up 
and make the restoration. He left home to get the sup- 
plies, but never returned. 

After his wife discovered that he was not coming back, 
she wrote to me, giving me the foregoing information, 
that we might go and find the gold. The first thing I 
did was to go to the old well. I lifted a few stones, and 
soon found the jewelry. I then took the old tub out of 
the well and there found the truth of Alexander's asser- 
tion that I had punched holes in his handkerchief, as 
there was about seventy-three dollars' worth of the gold- 
dust left in the tub. I then got my brother William to 
accompany me, and went in the night to the South Fork 
Canal, to the place described, and made a vigorous search 
for the money; but we found nothing. We then went 
into the ditch and into the water in hopes of finding the 
prize, supposing that it might have slid down from the 
bank into the ditch, but were again unsuccessful. We 
then made arrangements with the ditch-tender at Negro 
Hill to shut off the water at night and give us an oppor- 
tunity to hunt. Ikit, to make a long story short, we 
never found the dust, and the only conclusion we could 
arrive at was that Alexander had carried it off. Subse- 
quently my wife lost her little boy, when she became 
nearl)' broken-hearted; and, having been for some years 
afflicted with tape-worm, she sank by degrees and died 
at the end of four years after our marriage. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 303 

CHAPTER XXXVIL 

PLACERVILLE GUARDS — COUNTY SEAT CONTEST. 

THERE had been considerable difficult3;,on the plains 
from the frequent attacks of Indians upon the immi- 
grant trains; and it was thought proper at Placerville to 
raise a military company to be ready in case their assist- 
ance should be demanded. Consequently, under the or- 
der of Governor Bigler, I proceeded to raise and organize 
a company, known as the " Placerville Guards," and was 
commissioned captain. It being the third military 
company raised in the State, we were attached to no 
other command. We were uniformed and armed by the 
State, were well drilled, and maintained our organization 
about two years, having been called out on many occa- 
sions to preserve order in times of excitement. Amongst 
other special duties, we were called out to act as guard 
at the execution (jf Mickey Free and Crane. We also 
received orders to proceed to San Francisco, on behalf 
of the State government, in the vigilance committee 
affair; but some opponents of the move stole our arms, 
and thereby stopped the expedition, after which I re- 
signed my command, but not until the trouble was 
over and the arms had been restored. 

Placerville at this day was one of the leading cities 
of the State, and there was a great contest between it 
and Coloma, Placerville claiming that the county seat 
should be located there instead of at Coloma. There was 
no doubt that a large portion of the voting population 
was in favor of Placerville, but the county officers were 
nearly all located at Coloma, most of them being com- 



304 Life and Adventures of 

pelled to reside there by statute regulation, and having 
their property there, they were very much opposed to 
having the county seat removed. John Conness and 
other leading citizens of Georgetown were in full sym- 
pathy with Coloma, while the western part of the county 
was rather inclined to be neutral. 

We were in the habit each year of circulating peti- 
tions to present to the legislature, asking an act of that 
body removing the county seat from Coloma to Placer- 
ville, and each year I was called upon to canvass the 
northern part of the county. My beat included George- 
town, and I knew that the leading men of that place 
were opposed to the removal. So, upon the occasion to 
which I now refer, I went to every tunnel and canon* 
around the place, where the miners did not care a 
cent whether the county seat was at Placerville or 
Coloma, or whether or not we had any county seat at 
all. Soliciting in this way, I obtained a large list of 
names, and about the third day entered the town, where 
I obtained but very few signatures. 

In the evening I went to the hotel and put up for the 
night, and between eight and nine o'clock I was 
called upon by a deputation from Mr. Conness and 
others, requesting me to call upon them, as they were 
holding an impromptu meeting. I walked over to the 
hall where they were assembled, and there found Con- 
ness and several other leading magnates of the town, 
about fifty in all. When I inquired their pleasure, Mr. 
Conness informed me that I had been reported as a spy 
in camp, and as I was a military man I probably knew 
the fate of spies in general, when taken, and, though 
they did not intend to inflict the extreme penalty on me, 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 305 

they wished to know my business there. 1 replied, " By 
Heaven, they lie who say I come as a secret spy;" and 
continued, " I am here, gentlemen, circulating a petition 
asking our legislature to pass a law removing the county 
seat of El Dorado County from Coloma to Placerville, 
and I hope, gentlemen, you will all sign it." He replied, 
" Oh, no, we can't do that, but I will tell you what we 
will do; if you will submit a bill for the division of the 
county, and for one county seat to be located at George- 
town, and the other at Placerville, we will all sign your 
petition." 

I saw their trap, and knowing that the people of El 
Dorado County were bitterly opposed to a division of 
the county, I replied, " Mr. Conness, I am not blessed 
with such pleasing powers; I haven't even the honor of 
belonging to the county seat committee; but if you will 
kindly put your proposition in writing, under the signa- 
tures of your committee here, I will submit it to our 
county seat committee for their action. Then they **put 
their foot in it," and drew up and signed their proposi- 
tion. 

I returned to the hotel at once, paid my bill, mounted 
my hor.se and was off. I arrived at Placerville about 
midnight, immediately called up Dr. Obed Harvey, and 
the committee soon assembled. I then produced the 
proposition of the Georgetown committee for their 
action. They said, " Well, what do you want to do 
about it ? What do you wish us to do.?" I said, "Give 
it an emphatic refusal, by resolution." They could not 
see what object there was in it. I told them that the 
fate of our petition in the western townships of the 
county depended upon prompt action. They finally 



306 Life and Adventures of 

appointed me as one of the county seat committee, and 
then appointed me as a committee of one to reply to the 
proposition. 

I drew up a resolution refusing to comply with the re- 
quest of theGeorgetowncommittee, rushed totheprinting 
office, and had a thousand extras struck off; and at half- 
past four in the morning was in my saddle, and with 
about half a dozen of our most enterprising citizens, rode 
through Diamond Springs distributing the extras con- 
taining the proposition of Georgetown and the refusal 
of the county seat committee at Placerville. When we 
arrived at Mud Springs we met Mr. Conness, who, with 
his crowd from Georgetown, was assiduously distribut- 
ing the news that the Placerville county seat committee 
were going in for a division of the county. When we 
came up they positively denied having ever made such 
a proposition, and that the extras were all a lie; where- 
upon I pulled out Mr. Conness' proposition, in his own 
handwriting, and showed the truth of pur statements. 
Mr. Conness and his crowd sneaked back to George- 
town, and the result was that we got the signatures of 
three-fourths of all the voters of the southern and west- 
ern parts of the county. 

The legislature was soon afterward convened, Conness 
being a member, and the petitions were presented. 
Now the rule in presenting petitions was that each 
party should verify under oath the genuineness of the 
signatures; so when Mr. Conness, who was opposed 
to the movement, was reported to have said that the 
petition from Georgetown was a libel and a forgery, and 
that he had said it to John O'Connell, of course all 
eyes were turned upon me to know what I would say 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 307 

or do. I wrote a very few lines, of which the following 
is a substantial copy: — 

"To the Honorable John Conness, Legislative Hall, 
Sacramento City: — I have been informed that you stated 
on the floor of the legislature that the petition pur- 
porting to come from the people of Georgetown was a 
libel and a forgery. I hope that the Honorable John 
Conness did not so say. If he did, I say that John 
Conness is a liar, a paltroon, and a coward, and if he 
takes exceptions to this I refer him to my friend Dr. 
Keene, of the Senate." 

I passed the note to the county seat committee, with 
instructions to do with it as they pleased. Everybody 
was crying out, " A duel ! " and I expected myself that I 
should have to stand up to the rack; but, to my sur- 
prise, at the end of two days I received a note from Mr- 
Conness, in which he denied having used the language, 
but stated, " What I did say was that I did not see the 
names of any of the prominent citizens of Georgetown 
on the petition, and I thought there must be some 
mistake about its being a petition from the citizens of 
Georgetown; and this I did not say on the floor of the 
legislature, but I said it to an intimate friend, John 
O'Connell, and did not expect him to tell it." 

The next day I received another letter from Conness, 
stating, among other things, that when I came to know 
him better, perhaps I would not think him as big a liar as 
I then did. The petitions were presented to the legisla- 
ture and the best that the friends of Placerville could do 
was to get a bill passed submitting the location of the 
county seat to a vote of the people of the county at a 
special election, the day being fixed by the legislature. 



308 Life and Adventures of 

During the interim both parties were electioneering 
their best. The night before the election I was in Clarks- 
villeat the western boundary of the county, when a cou- 
rier brought me a note, saying, "Hasten to White Oak 
Township; Constantine Hicks is preparing to practice 
a mammoth fraud upon the ballots of that precinct." 
I accordingly lost no time in getting upon the ground. 
Now there was a valley about one mile wide, through 
which the road ran, crossing the valley at right angles. 
Hicks kept a hotel on the hill on the east side of the 
valley, and there was another hotel on the hill on the 
west side of the valley, the two houses being one mile 
apart. The note I had received informed me that the 
committee had sent a man over from Placerville to 
assist me in guarding the polls. I came in on the west 
side and stopped at that hotel to observe how things 
were going. I there met Gage, who was drunk as 
a fool. He staggered up to me and, with a drunken 
hiccough, said, "We have got Hicks; he is all right." 
I looked at him and replied, "I guess Hicks has 
got you." I then charged him not to touch another 
drop of liquor until the polls closed the next day. He 
promised that he would not. The sun had set before 
my arrival; I saw by the notices of election that the 
place of holding the polls was fixed at Hicks', but 
written underneath was, " Changed to this place, by 
order of the board of supervisors." But no one had 
signed the writing to show authority for the change. I 
then directed Gage to return to Hicks' and stay all night, 
which he did. 

The next morning I was up in good time, and believ- 
ing that there was no danger excepting where Hicks 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 309 



was, I walked over to his place, where I found Hick and 
Gag-e together. I engaged Hicks in conversation for 
some time, when he remarked, "It is eight o'clock and 
time the polls were open." Wc walked together to the 
other hotel, where he got a cigar-box, cut a hole in it and 
made a ballot-box of it, and placed it upon the table. 
I suggested that the board be formed, as I wished to 
vote. After fiicks and some others present had held a 
whispered consultation, Hicks remarked to me that they 
had no statute there; that he had sent a man down to 
Red Canon to a justice of the peace to get a statute. 

Presently a big, rough, blustering fellow came in and 
personally addressing me, said, " What the h — 1 are you 
doing here? We miners generally do as we please; 
we don't want any of your kind sneaking about here." 
I replied, " I can't help what you want, I shall sneak 
around as long as I please." He retorted, " I'll be d — d 
if you do," and commenced drawing his six-shooter. I 
immediately covered him with a cocked revolver and 
told him to " put that thing back." He proceeded to 
do so, when another one, pretending to be drunk, 
staggered up to the table where the ballot-box stood, 
brought down his fist and smashed it to pieces, saying, 
"D — n the ballot-box ! who wants an election ? " 

During the confusion I had lost track of Hicks, and 
rushing to the door, I looked down the road and there I 
saw Hicks on his little black mare, going at the top of 
her speed, being near his own place. I started right awa}- 
after him as fast as I could travel; but when I got 
there I found the polls open and parties proceeding 
with the voting. I hurried to the polls and tendered my 
vote, and counting the votes said, " Gentlemen, my vote 



310 Life and Adventures of 

stands number fifteen, and recollect it is now just half- 
past eight o'clock; and farther, the statute requires that 
you number your votes." A man by the name of 
Dr. Rexford, and who was Hicks' father-in-law, was 
one of the two tallying clerks. He immediately com- 
menced at one, and numbered the votes up to mine, 
which was fifteen. At this moment Hicks and Gage 
walked up to the polls (Hicks had been showing Gage 
some of his fine stock), when Hicks, seeing what the old 
man had just done, gave him a withering look. The old 
man instantly drew his coat-sleeve across the figures he 
had just made, blotting them, and declined number- 
ing any more votes. Names were recorded on a 
large number of sheets of paper, that lay underneath the 
paper on which they were keeping tally. Hicks gave 
me a nudge to walk with him, and when we were beyond 
earshot of the others, he laughingly said, " Norton, 
d — n you, you have caught me; I can't outgeneral you 
but I have the numerical force, and I shall keep my 
contract with Coloma. I agreed to give them a thou- 
smd votes from this precinct, for which they are to pay 
me one thousand dollars. I don't give a d — n for them 
after I. have got my money; so you may as well keep 
quiet and let me have the money." 

We returned to the house; I sauntered around and 
went into an unoccupied room where there was a table 
and several benches, with papers scattered over the floor. 
It looked as though there had been some caucasing done 
there. I examined the j)apcrs on the floor and discov- 
ered some long slips of passenger lists cut from news- 
papers. I quietly gathered them up and put them in my 
pocket, and again mingled with the crowd around the 
polls. 



Colonel L. A. Nor ion. 311 



Now the White Oak precinct would lep^itimately poll 
from one hundred and sixty to one hundred and eii^hty 
votes. I stepped to the table where they were votin^^, 
stuck my finders beneath the sheets where the legitimate; 
votes were recorded and raised them up, showing sheet 
after sheet with long lists of names. 1 said to the board. 
" Are you going to count these out on me to-night?' 
They hung their heads, but made no rc])ly. 

At the proper time the polls were closed, and they 
commenced counting the votes, turning back to the 
commencement of the spurious list. I then remarked 
to them again, "Gentlemen, before 1 would be guilty of 
such an action as this, I would suffer my right aim to be 
cut off at the shoulder." They made no reply, but went 
on with their count. Hicks gave to Coloma his one thou- 
sand votes, and something over. During the progress 
of the count I noticed several names which I had on the 
steamboat list in my pocket. 

Placerville was beaten, when charges of fraud were 
brought before the grand jury against Constantine 
Hicks and the election board of White Oak Township. 
I was summoned before the grand jury and made my 
statement. I told the jurors that if they would e.vamine 
the returns (one co])y of which had to be fi]ci\, and as the 
old doctor's was the only one that was legible, it had 
been forwardedj, at about number 850 on the j)oll- 
list, they would find where they commenced numbering 
from one to fifteen votes, and that the figures would be 
blurred ui)on the pa[)er by something having been rubbed 
over them while they were yet wet; and at this point the 
legitimate voting had commenced. The grand jury sent 
for the list and upon examination found it just as I had 



312 Life and Adventures of 

stated. I then produced the steamboat list, which I had 
carefully saved, and which gave the grand jury infinite 
amusement in following up the long list of names on the 
steamboat list and finding them all recorded as voters of 
White Oak Township. 

It is netdless to say that the grand jury found a true 
bill against Hicks and his associates, but the case never 
came to a trial. The county judge and the district 
attorney were residents of Coloma, with their interests 
all centered in that place, and when the case was called 
for trial, the district attorney moved to enter a nolle pros, 
which the court sustained. Thus ended the Hicks 
swindle. 

The next year Placerville was again before the legisla- 
ture with sufficient influence to get another bill passed 
submitting the county seat question to a vote of the 
people of the county, when from some strange influence 
Hicks had become converted from the errors of his way, 
and White Oak Township cast a very large vote for 
Placerville, which, having a majority of the votes cast, 
was declared to be, and still is, the county seat of El 
Dorado County. 



CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

A TRIP TO MONTEREY COUNTY. 

IN a previous chapter I have incidentally mentioned a 
business tour to Monterey County, and I will now 
devote a short chapter to some incidents of the trip. 
It was in the summer of 1853, while I was living at 
Placerville, that a man came in from South San Juan, 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 313 

Monterey County, and proposed trading me a ranch 
near South San Juan, for some property interest at 
Placerville. I got some information that satisfied me 
as to the character of the ranch. The trade was made, 
and in the course of time I was desirous of visiting my 
investment. Accordingly, I proceeded to make my 
arrangements for the trip, extensive of course, and con- 
sisting of my horse, saddle, bridle, and a heavy double 
blanket. To this outfit 1 added a small amount of 
dried beef and crackers, to be used in certain emer- 
gencies, which emergencies were not likely to arise 
while skirting the foot-hills through the mining country 
which I would pass going to Stockton. My horse was 
my favorite and pet. No better companion was needed, 
as I think Billy knew more than one-half of the human 
family. I never had to carry a lariat to tie him with. 
I would always turn him loose when I wanted him to 
feed, and should he get scared, night or day, he would 
" make a bee-line " for me. I remember on one occa- 
sion, vvhile on this trip, I turned him out to grass and 
had lain down under the shade of a cotton-wood tree 
and gone to sleep. When I awoke, Billy, having fin- 
ished his repast, was standing with his head over me, 
dreaming. 

But as I did not start in to write the history of my 
horse, I will proceed with my story. I had passed 
Stockton, and in making inquiries as to the route was 
informed that I had better, probably, cross at Fire- 
baugh's Ferry and go down to and through the 
San Juan Valley. But there was a shorter, though 
dangerous route; I could cross by a ferry higher 
up the San Joaquin, i)ass up the southerly bank of that 

21 



314 Life and Adventures of 

stream about thirty miles, and then strike across the 
valley to the San Luis Rancho, and go through the 
Pacheco or Robber's Pass to South San Juan. Feeling 
a little the spirit of adventure, and having Billy under 
me and a good revolver at my side, making three of 
us, J thought we were quite equal to any dangers that I 
was likely to encounter; hence I was resolved to take 
the shortest cut. I came to the river, at what was 
called, I believe, the Woods Ferry, where there was a 
crazy old scow with a line across the river by which to 
pull the boat across the stream. Myself, Billy, and the 
ferryman all aboard, we started across; but when in the 
midst of the stream, the line parted and down the 
stream we went; but we hung to the shore line, which, 
with the current, swung us towards the bank, upon the 
side from which we started. But presently we came in 
contact with some flood-wood lodged in the top of a 
prostrate tree which had fallen into the stream, the roots 
of which were still fast in the bank. The current was 
strong, the stream being narrow at this point, and, as the 
boat struck the current, the upper side was drawn under, 
precipitating Billy into the stream; but he soon made 
the same shore whence we had come, while the ferryman 
and myself scrambled upon the flood-wood and brubh, 
thence to the fallen tree, and walked to the shore, the 
only catastrophe to me thus far being the slight wetting 
of my blanket. 

The ferryman had a small skiff in which he said he 
could get me across; but how about the horse? I in- 
formed him that Billy would take care of himself I 
removed the saddle, bridle, and blankets, put them into 
the skiff, and we were soon on the opposite shore. As 



COLONEL L. A. Norton. 315 



soon as we were landed, I called to Billy, who was un- 
concernedly grazing. As soon as he heard my voice he 
looked up, and seeing me on the opposite shore, he 
plunged in and soon joined us. I followed up the stream 
for several miles without seeing a house or habitation of 
any kind; but at length I came to two quite large wooden 
structures, and I believe there was a post-office there. I 
am sure of one thing, at least, I broke my fast at that 
place. 

I continued up the stream for a long distance, in 
search of a certain unoccupied house, where I was to 
leave the river and strike across the plain to the San 
Luis Rancho. After many miles of travel, I concluded 1 
must soon reach a habitation, as I saw far in the distance 
a large flock of sheep, as I supposed; but, on a nearer 
approach, I discovered that they were not sheep, but 
antelope; in^fact, it was the largest band of antelope I 
ever saw. But in course of time, without further advent- 
ure, I came to the old house and there found a trail 
leading across the valley, said to be twenty-one miles, to 
the San Luis Rancho. 1 had not rode far until I saw a 
vast band of wild horses that came running directly 
towards me. They came to within twenty or thirty rods 
of me, with heads and tails in the air, snorting and play- 
ing. Then they commenced running around me and 
fairly encircled me, but always keeping at a respectful 
distance. This op^jration they kept up for an hour or 
more, when they beat a hasty retreat towards the San 
Luis Rancho, at which place I arrived just before sunset. 
There I found a boy about twelve years of age, who 
spoke very good English. I asked him if I could turn 
my horse out to feed and stay all night at the ranch. He 



316 Life and Adventures of 

informed me that I could, and showed me where to 
turn my horse out. I noticed that there was a very nice 
house on the place, and another quite large but rough 
structure. He took me to the latter place and told me 
that was the men's quarter, and that I could get my 
supper there. When he left me I walked round the 
premises, and noticed some very long poles, or small- 
sized trees, with the bark peeled off, placed in crotches 
set in the ground. Each of these poles was from sixty 
to seventy feet long, lying in the crotches horizontally 
and parallel with each other. I could not imagine what 
they were for; but presently up rode a Mexican, armed 
with revolver and knife. Dismounting he took off the 
saidle and put it on one of these smooth poles; then 
came aliother and another until the poles were filled' 
with saddles, and before the night fairly closed in, there 
were swarming around tho yard fifty or sixty as positive 
specimens of .Mexican bandits as one ever saw, all 
armed like the first. I was astonished and scared. In 
fact, I did not know what to do. The boy came 
around, and I asked him who owned the place. He 
informed me that his father owned it. I asked his fath- 
er's name. He told me that it was Joaquin Balara. 
That was sufficient. Joaquin Murietta had just been 
killed and a part of his band captured, and the name 
Joaquin was all I sought to know. But what was I to 
do ? The " Robber's Pass " lay before me through the 
mountains. Escape would be impossible. At last I 
concluded that the only thing that I could do was to take 
my chances among them. I had in my life wormed out 
of many a tight spot, and perhaps I might, by hook or 
crook, get out of that. But one thing I had resolved 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 817 

upon, and that was, if attacked, I would sell my life as 
dearly as possible. 

In a short time there were immense kettles of bacon 
and beans produced, with tin plates to eat from, and tin 
cups for coffee, and bread but no butter. I joined in and 
made a very satisfactory meal. The crowd soon com- 
menced singing, and seemed tO' heartily enjoy them- 
selves. I could understand much of their conversation, 
but when they addressed me, I pretended not to under- 
stand one word. The evening wore on, and I began to 
look for a place to roost. I noticed that there was a 
space under the stairs about seven feet long, where my 
head would be close to one wall, my feet to the stairs, 
and a wall back of me, leaving only the front for an at- 
tack. Between nine and ten o'clock all had retired, the 
greater number going up-stairs. I was very tired from 
the day's exertions, and about ten or eleven o'clock I 
forgot myself, and was disappointed to awake in the 
morning without having my throat cut. 

I got up and started out, and in a short time the boy 
of the previous evening came around. I then for the 
first time made inquiry as to those men. Before this I 
had not deemed an inquiry necessary. I thought I 
understood what they were. But the young fellow soon 
enlightened me. He said they were his father's ranch- 
eros; that his father had about io,000 head of sheep and 
10,000 head of cattle, and about 8,000 horses; that the 
reason the men were so heavily armed was to protect 
the sheep and calves from the wild beasts. He then 
showed me the skins of wolves, panthers, California lions, 
and two grizzly bears. This showed me the necessity 
of arming the men, and that I had been " badly .sold," 



318 Life and Adventures of 

and had my fright all for nothing. The boy said that he 
had been going to school in San Francisco, where he 
learned English; that he was going to be a lawyer. I 
informed him that I was a lawyer. He left me, but in 
a short time he returned and invited me to go to the 
house; his father wanted to see me. I accompanied him 
and he introduced me to his father, who apologized for 
not inviting me to the house the night before, saying he 
had come home late in the evening. Joaquin Balara 
was a fine-looking man of about forty years, a Castilian. 
He invited me to breakfast. He had two or three 
other guests, and the boy, acting as my interpreter, told 
his father where I was going. He informed me that it 
would be very unsafe for me to go through the pass 
alone, as several men had been killed in that pass, which 
gave it the name of the "Robber's Pass." In fact, but 
a few days before, a man was found hanging to a tree. 
But as one of his guests was to go through that morn- 
ing, and he was going to furnish him an escort, I could 
accompany them in safety; an offer of which I very 
willingly availed myself 

We had a very pleasant trip. My companion gave 
me the benefit of what little English he possessed; while, 
in exchange, I gave him mv best Spanish. After we 
reached the valley lying between the foot-hills and San 
Juan, we struck a forest of mustard in which a man on 
horseback could have easily got lost had it not been for 
the trail. I was on a fair-sized horsp, but the mustard 
was several feet above my head and very thick on the 
ground. After passing through that, we reached the 
wild-oats country, and the oats were so rank in many 
places that they had fallen down. From the appear- 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 319 

ance of the country, there must have been several thou- 
sand acres that would have produced, when harvested, 
forty or fifty bushels to the acre. 

From this valley I crossed a rolling country for a 
short distance, when I brought up at San Juan, which 
then consisted of a hotel, store, and blacksmith shop. 
I put up my horse, and, as I had a four or five days' 
beard on my face, my next inquiry was for a barber. 
The landlord informed me that there was no barber in 
town, but the blacksmith would shave me. I walked 
over to the shop and asked him if he shaved. He was 
a Frenchman, and answered, "Ohyas, I shaves some- 
times." And when he had drawn his hot iron on the 
anvil, he threw down his hammer and tongs and di- 
rected me to sit down on the little bench used for sharp- 
ening horseshoe nails, when he took from the jamb of 
his forge a huge razor. It looked more like a cleaver 
than a razor, and I never knew whether the blacksmith 
forged it out or whether it was Vulcan's first attempt 
at edge tools before the siege of Troy. At least, it 
was a hard-looking specimen. He gave it a few rakes 
over a strop nailed to the wall, daubed some lather on 
m}' face, and commenced operations. The first . rake 
over my face brought the beard out by the roots, with 
my tears, which had the effect to make me jump about a 
foot from my seat; then another and another in rapid 
succession, when I exclaimed in no very gentle voice, 
"For God's sake, hold on!" and he said, "Vat ish de 
matter — he bool?" "Pull," roared I, "pull is no name 
for it!" "Oh veil I trish another." He then took 
down its twin brother, went through the same whetting 
process as before, and again commenced work, when I 



320 Life and Adventures of 

again brought him to a parley by asking him if he was 
tired. He repHed, " Oh no, me not tired." I then asked 
him if he was sure the handle would not break; for, if it 
did, we would be in a bad fix. He assured me that it 
was strong, and that there was no danger, and proceeded. 
In time, what he had not cut off he had pulled out by 
the roots, or so tangled down as to hide its bushy ap- 
pearance, and concluded his labors, leaving me sitting on 
the bench. After demanding and receiving his two bits, 
he proceeded with his blacksmithing, as calmly as though 
he had not tried to commit murder. " Well," I said, 
"what about washing this lather from my face?" After 
some instructions as to locality, I found an old tin 
wash-dish outside of the shop, with comb and towel to 
match the rest of the operations. When I had washed 
and snagged out my hair, I gathered up a club and re- 
turned to the hotel, went for the landlord and threatened 
him Vv^ith annihilation. He readily comprehended the 
joke, and said I was not the only one who had threat- 
ened his life for the same offense. 

I took a run over the rancho, placed it in the hands of 
an agent, and returned to Placerville by the same route 
that I came, having a narrow escape from a set of cut- 
throats on returning through the Pacheco Pass. 

I will here take occasion to sav that, in 1883, on a 
journey from Los Angeles to San Francisco, as we came 
flying along on a Southern Pacific Railroad train, 1 could 
but wonder at the change in the San Joaquin Valley. 
Now, as we approached, it opened out before us in all 
its beauty and grandeur — with its snug and cozy farm- 
houses, and cities, towns, and villages on every side. 
Yes, thirty years have changed the face of the entire 
valley. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 321 

CHAPTER XXXIX. 

DISTRICT ATTORNEY IN WESTERN UTAH. 

IN 1855, the Mormons came into Carson Valley 
in force to make a settlement, claiming it to be 
a portion of Utah. They organized and established 
themselves in Carson County. Elder Orson Hyde was 
sent out as the leading spirit of the enterprise, and, by 
the way, they could not have sent a better man for the 
posi-tion. The third judicial district of Utah was organ- 
ized, and W. W. Drummond was appointed judge of the 
United States district court. Orson Hyde was elected 
probate judge, but they had no district attorney, and 
Hyde came to Placerville and insisted upon my taking 
the appointment. I consented and accompanied him to 
Carson Valley. 

Genoa was a little center, where Col. John Reese re- 
sided; there was a store, a saw and grist-mill, and the 
place was dignified with the title of the village of Genoa. 
On our arrival I found some two hundred Mormons 
camped, with tents, covered wagons, and shanties. I 
soon found myself surrounded with Mormons, and my 
blankets, saddle-bags, overcoat, and traps generally were 
stripped from my horse and thrown down in a large tent 
which, from the appearance of things, seemed to be the 
tent of Hyde; and all seemed ready to perform the duties 
of body-guard generally to Hyde. They rushed around 
and soon had a substantial meal prepared, to which the 
elder and myself did ample justice. 

After dinner I went back to the big tent (which, by 
the way, was subdivided), and commenced looking for 



322 Life and Adventures of 

my baggage, as I wanted a cigar from my saddle-bags. 
But imagine my surprise and chagrin, for on examina- 
tion there was not a vestige of my plunder where I had 
left it, or in sight. I did not know what to do. I did 
not feel like coming out and getting into a row with the 
Mormons the first thing on my arrival, and Hyde had 
gone out among his people to attend to some of his many 
duties. Well, I was perplexed, but concluded on the 
whole to forego my cigar and await the return of Hyde. 
On his return I rather shamefacedly told the elder that 
my things had all disappeared and I could not imagine 
what had become of them. I noticed a broad grin over- 
spread the old man's face, when he remarked that we 
would go and see if we could find them. On entering 
the tent he addressed one of the lackeys and asked 
him what was done with the gentleman's things. He 
immediately led the way to a small room partitioned 
off with canvas. Upon one side of the room was a long 
pole on two crotches set in the ground, and there, neatly 
brushed, hung all my clothes, saddle-bags, and fixtures; 
and I soon discovered that I was not a subject to be 
robbed by the Mormons, but rather to be treated as a 
favoreJ guest. 

This was in the latter part of August, 1855. The 
weather was warm, and the old elder, or rather the pro- 
bate judge of Carson County, and myself stowed our- 
selves away in the tent, rolled in our blankets for the 
night. We had not lain long before we had a realizing 
sense that there were about as many fleas as there were 
grains of sand under us, and that we were surrounded 
and covered with them to that extent that we were com- 
pelled to beat a hasty retreat and seek other quarters. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 323 



There was a small hay-stack near by, of which we took 
possession. We shook our clothing and blankets and 
again turned in; but it was no go. The old judge could 
not stand the assault as well as I could; he had a buffalo 
roDe, and he finally got up, divested himself of every 
stitch of clothing, and rolled himself in his robe, the flesh 
side next to his body, and then curled down on the hay 
and was soon asleep. But as for myself, I had no alter- 
native but to surrender at discretion and submit to the 
torture until morning. How the Mormons stood it I do 
not know. 

Now there was a beautiful cold mountain stream flow- 
ing through the place, running and sparkling over its 
sandy bed, and a large bowlder had parted the stream a 
short distance above our quarters, and left a little island 
of sand about ten feet wide and twenty feet long, with a 
nice flow of water each side of it. I told the judge that 
I thought we might yet get the best of the fleas; that we 
could put a couple of armfuls of hay in the stream long 
enough to get the fleas out of it, then take it out onto 
the little islet, spread it out in the sun and let it dry; 
then soak our blankets for an hour, wring them out and 
let them dry; then put some poles and brush on the sand 
and put our hay onto that, and thus fortify against the 
fleas. 

The idea struck the old judge favorably, and before 
night his slaves had carried the whole thing out to per- 
fection, and it proved a success. And before the week 
had elapsed there were at least a dozen little islands 
with similar sleeping arrangements in the stream, made 
by throwing in rocks above and sand below. It worked 



324 Life and Adventures of 

well, but it was one of the inventions for which I never 
applied for a patent. 

After a time our court was fairly organized, and when 
the business of the term was concluded, Orson Hyde 
and myself had become fast friends. I found that the 
old man possessed a fine intellect, and a kind and genial 
disposition, all backed up by a liberal education. He 
had a versatile mind, and was possessed of great energy 
of character. This was about the time when there was 
quite a dispute regarding the location of the line between 
California and Utah. The old man and myself took 
observations by the north star, not through a goo.se-quill. 
but an instrument about as simple. I say ive took 
observations; well, he took the observations and I looked 
on. We lay by the same camp-fire and slept under the 
same blankets, and Mormon elder as he was, I learned 
to love the old man. In fact I have heard him preach 
ofttimes; his text was always from the Bible, and was 
always of that instructive character that would interest 
intelligent hearers. And during all the time I was with 
him I never heard him preach one of their doctrinal 
sermons. In fact, I got the statement from the Mor- 
mons that he had such differences with the church that 
he had withdrawn on two or three different occasions, 
but each time the leaders had pursued him until the 
matter had been fixed up between them. The following 
extracts of letters will show something of the feelings he 
entertained towards me: — 

Capt. L. a. Norton — My Dear Sir: ... To 
illustrate the present state of political affairs, allow me 
here to relate an anecdote. Several years ago, a young 
lawyer in the little town of K , in Ohio, by the 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 325 

name of N. M., got very drunk, and cast anchor under 
the lee of a worm fence by the roadside, to snooze off 
the great quantity of steam which the fire of alcohol 
had raised or caused to generate in his boiler. After 
enjoying this repose for a time, he was abruptly dis- 
turbed in his spirit dreams by the rough " hallo " of a pass- 
ing stranger. "Get up here," said the stranger, " who are 
you?" The inebriate answered (rubbing his eyes and 
scratching his head, with an occasional yawn), "When 
I lay down here, I was N. M., the young lawyer; but 
now I don't know whether I'm Joe Smith, the prophet, 
or Sidney Rigdon, his spokesman." The old political 
landmarks are broken down, and the lines of distinction 
cannot be traced. A general melee ensues, in which 
every participant " goes it on his own hook," hardly know- 
ing who he is or what he is. Who or what will come out 
best, time must determine. Meanwhile, for one, I will be 
only a lojker-on, and take items — watch the signs of the 
times and of the weather, which, by the by, has gener- 
ally been very cold and dry here, though for the last 
week we have had a little rain and considerable snow. 
Our citizens bitterly complain about paying one-half 
per cent county tax upon a very low assessment, and one- 
fourth per cent territorial tax even after our legislature has 
appropriated the territorial tax to the use and benefit 
of this new county. The citizens here are rather gen- 
erous and public-spirited ! You may expect to see Car- 
son County "excelsior" sunder this order of things. 
They still claim, that is, some of them, that they are in 
California, though the line has been correctly established, 
I believe. At the Lawson diggings, manifestly in Cali- 
fornia, they claim that they are in Utah, for the sole pur- 



326 Life and Adventures of 

pose of dodging taxation. In my late trip to that region, 
I took observations every night from the north star, not 
exactly "through a goose-quill," but with instruments 
nearly as simple, and am confident they are in California. 
The truth of the matter is this: the eastern range of the 
Sierra Nevada Mountains is the natural boundary and 
ought to be adopted. Then the expen.se and trouble of 
a survey would be avoided. Indeed, it is already the 
legal boundary for a long distance. But the trouble is, 
we do not intend to pay taxes, if we can possibly dodge 
that bowlder. Anyway, between wind and water, be- 
tween California and Utah, you must not touch our 
purse. We are lords of the soil. 

I am a conscientious Mormon. I live and practice 
that religion, expect to live and die in that faith, because 
I believe it to be true; and whatever faults its professors 
may have, however exaggerated, shakes my faith no 
more than the murders, thefts, robberies, and the vast 
catalogue of crimes that come in every week's papers 
from the Golden State, shakes yours in the political 
economy or code of California enactments. I believe 
that the only crime (if crime it is) that the good peo- 
ple of this county can lay to my charge is, that I am a 
Mormon. Some, however, care nothing about it. Oth- 
ers think it a damning sin to be suffered in the midst of 
their profanity, general gambling, and horse-racing on 
the Sabbath and other days. Still, the people are kind 
and neighborly. But I hav^ been very careful not to 
dishonor any of these entertainments, by being a par- 
ticipant, or even to be present; and I never intend to 
dishonor any such amusements, here or elsewhere, by 
my presence, when I can reasonably avoid it. If mine 



Colon KL L. A. Norton. :^Q7 

is the only house of prayer in all western Utah, it may 
be a dis^ression from the practice worthy to be an excep- 
tion. 

But 1 must stop talking to you so freely about things 
directly and indirectly connected with my religion, lest 
some may think, from the liberty I take with you in 
writing, that you also are a little tinctured with Mor- 
monism. But the freedom that I have indidged in with 
you arises from that natural friendship which I feci 
towards every frank and generous-minded man who, if 
he prefer to eat his goose, is equally willing that 1 should 
eat my turkey. On this principle alone have Trea- 
son to claim a reciprocal affinity. 

If, however, any man can take the good old-fashioned 
Bible, which all Christendom extols (but not too highly), 
and point out tome my error, philosophically and script- 
urally, he will bring me under an obligation which 1 
should be happy to discharge by a renunciativ)n of that 
error. . . Respectfully, your obedient servant. 

Orson IIvdk. 

Genoa, February 28, 1856. 
Capt. L. A. Norton — My Dear Sir: . . . Hav- 
ing been confined since last Christmas-day with frozen 
(or rather thawed) feet, I may be thought a little child- 
ish. Well, if any poor fellow has a right to be childish, 
I can assert my claim with many painful reasons, for 
thawed feet are far more severe and tedious than frozen 
ones; so your generosity, I am sure, will make all neces- 
sary allowance, and indulge me while I c^uote a Mormon 
poem illustrative of some of the foregoing — especially 
as the poetic organ stands prominently developed in the 
cap-stone of your own superstructure: — 



328 Life and Adventures of 

" O my Father, thou that dwellest 
In the high and glorious place! 
When shall I regain thy presence, 

And again behold thy face? 
In thy holy habitation 

Did my spirit once reside? 
In my first primeval chilahood 
V • Was I nurtured near thy side? 

"For a wise and glorious purpose 

Thou hast placed me hereon earth, 
And withheld the recollection 

Of my former friends and birth; 
Vet ofttimes a secret something 

Whispered, Vou're a stranger here; 
And I felt that I had wandered 

From a more exalted sphere. 

*' I had learned to call thee, Father, 

Through thy Spirit froin on high; 
But until the key of knowledge 

W^as restored, I knew not why. 
In the heavens are parents single ? 

No! the thought makes reason stare; 
Truth is reason; truth eternal 

Tells me I've a mother there. 

" When I leave this frail existence, 

When I lay this mortal by, "* 

Father, mother, may I meet you 

In your royal court on high? 
Tnen, at length, when I've completed 

All you sent me forth to do. 
With your mutual approbation, 

Let me come and dwell with you." 

When the number of spirits destined from the begin- 
ning to emigrate to this world, ere the morning stars 
sang together or the sons of God shouted for joy, shall 
have obtained earthly tabernacles, or bodies of flesh and 
blood (and God grant that the purity, integrity, and de- 
votion of thy conjugal atmosphere may be such as to 
invite a liberal number of the higher orders or grades of 
those spirits to seek an earthly home with you), then 
will be completed the great revolution of nations and 
kingdoms, and the kingdom of our God cover the earth 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 329 



as the waters cover the vast deep! To this crowning 
cHmax is the present disturbed poHtical state of affairs 
throughout the world, as a faithful index, now pointing. 

The tide of immigration to this lower world has not 
been (mathematically speaking) in a ratio equal to the 
square of the distance from the creation (counting time 
for distance), in consequence of, perhaps, the know-noth- 
ings of California, who, I believe, are opposed to the 
influx of foreigners, preferring a life of " single blessed- 
ness," through the strange desire for gold, and who 
thereby check the tide of immigration by practically carry- 
ing out their principles. Add to this the great drawback 
by premature deaths in wars, etc. Yet wisdom, justified 
by her children, may have disclosed a partial remedy. 
But why should I trouble you with that which may gen- 
erally be considered a delusive fancy? I will not tres- 
pass further with this subject. Forgive the foregoing ! 

The last mail brought us the long-looked-for message 
of President Pierce. I consider it a good one — plain, 
pertinent, reasonable, dignified, and true. On the sub- 
ject of our foreign relations, his reasoning is unostenta- 
tious, clear, generous, firm, and conclusive. His remarks 
touching home affairs are highly conciliatory and just — 
even such as we might expect from a father who felt a 
deep solicitude for the welfare of every part of his 
family. In short, it is just such a message as the condi- 
tion of the country, both at home and abroad, requires. 
In many sections. President Pierce has not had credit 
for his talent, ability, and statesmanship, to which the 
evidences in his late message justly entitle him. 

But that the interests and honor of the American 
people should be so ingloriously tampered with at the 

22 



330 . Life and Adventures of 

present critical state of affairs, by the political factions 
now in Washington, to whom that interest and honor 
have been generously and sacredly confided, is humiliat- 
ing and mortifying in the extreme! Quite too many 
are eager to carve out of the Constitution portions which 
their own selfish and disordered appetites may direct 
them to appropriate to personal aggrandizement or sec- 
tional party interests, while the great Magna Charta^ 
the broad shield of American liberty, the entire Consti- 
tution, is picked, mangled, perforated, and preyed upon 
until it becomes a scarecrow to the infatuated, a bur- 
lesque in the eyes of strangers, a deep wound to the 
spirits of its departed framers, and a cause of mourning 
in every American heart. 

There appears to be no lack of courage to defend 
party politics and interests; but who, and how many 
among them all, possess courage enough to yield a point, 
and "stoop a little to conquer"? There is one striking 
instance on record clearly demonstrating that by yield- 
ing a most essential point both honor and the desired, 
object were obtained. In the days of Solomon, the 
wise king of Israel, two women claimed an infant child 
as its mother. Of course only one of the women could 
be its mother. Hence a serious dispute arose, the final 
adjustment of which was referred to the king. He called 
for a sword to divide the child, with a proposition to give 
half to each claimant, as it was so very difficult to de- 
termine to which of the women it really did belong. 
She who was not the mother would not yield, but con- 
sented to take half the child inasmuch as she could not 
have it all. She sanctioned the proposal of Solomon! 
But the other, with all the tender sympathies that swell 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 331 



a mother's heart, said, I yield my claim ! Let not the 
king divide the child, but give it all to the other woman! 
God bless the real mother! Did she not get her child 
by yielding all her claim? And did she not gratefully 
and fondly bear it away amid the gratulations of an ad- 
miring crowd ? I " reckon " she did. 

If our political men at Washington had really drawn 
from the breast of the Constitution the pure milk of 
sound policy, and had been raised to political manhood 
by its kindly nourishing properties, could they be so 
tardy in organizing the House? Why profess friend- 
ship for the Constitution and deny the rights which it 
secures ? 

I was born and raised in the free States of the North, 
and have no personal predilection in favor of slavery. 
Yet the terms of the original compact, to which the 
North and the South voluntarily subscribed, ought not 
to lose their binding force upon either party, only by the 
voluntary consent of both. Through all the extension 
of territory subsequently acquired by the mutual exer- 
tions and enterprise of the northern and southern States, 
the rights of the South should run parallel with those of 
the North. Take it up on one side and down on the 
other, and I can see no injustice or inequality in allow- 
ing the citizens of each new State to determine, by vote, 
whether it shall be a free or a slave State. Any other 
course would savor too strongly of foreign legislation. 
The Yankees of the North are about as quick to take 
up the line of march towards a new territory as the 
slave-holders of the South. If they are not, it is their 
own fault. 

It is agreed that liberty is national, and slavery sec- 



332 Life and Adventures of 

tional. Hence slavery should not exist. I believe that 
corn and wheat raising is national; but cotton and rice 
growing, I think, is sectional. Must we, therefore, be 
deprived of our rice puddings — our shins, hose, pants^ 
and a hundred and one other articles of common use 
manufactured from cotton? It may be asked if it is 
not lawful and right, in this age of progress, to reform 
abuses by remodeling the internal policy of the Govern- 
ment. It certainly is when there exists a reasonable 
prospect of bettering the condition of the country. But 
when certain ruin is likely to attend the enterprise, it 
can be with no very benevolent or charitable design that 
:it is sjt on foot. If I had a sou who was born with a 
■hair lip, it would be criminal rashness to cut off his head 
to reform his personal appearance. To effect a reform 
against the decree of Providence and our own plighted 
faith, to say the best of it, is the investment of an ill- 
grounded political piety in a sinking fund. Fair play and 
<equal rights are the principles of high-minded and libera^ 
men. When these fail to stand in the ascendant, it may 
be regarded as a painful proof of the downward tend- 
ency of everything that can shed a glory on the 
American name. 

But for years I have marked the tide of events, and 
carefully noted the progress of affairs; and have beheld, 
in the foreground, with painful anxiety, the crisis that 
must be met. I have also contemplated in sorrow and 
regret some of the causes that have indirectly and prov- 
identially led to the present political embarrassments 
that now threaten to afflict the country — causes which, 
though on record, are measurably lost sight of and for- 
gotten by the nation ; and yet, if fresh in the memory 
of all, they probably would not be believed. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. Sf-iS 

I am no politician; still I can hardly avoid entertain- 
ing some views upon every subject that commends itself 
to my attention. If you shall consider them to contain 
anything curious, amusing, or beneficial, you are at lib- 
erty to use them as you may deem proper. 

It becomes every man to act well his part, in these as 
well as in all other times, in the sphere in which he is des- 
tined to move — praying that an overruling Providence 
may guide our destiny in mercy, and crown the efforts of 
the just with glorious victory! 

Till I see ypu, believe me as ever your friend and 
obedient servant, Orson Hydk. 



CHAPTER XL. 

REMOVAL TO HEALDSBURG — THE SQUATTER WAR. 

1HAD built up quite a practice in the valley, and one 
day as I was on the floor addressing a jury in the 
United States district court, a friend stepped up to me 
and said, ** Give them h — 1, Norton, you are gone in at 
home." When I had finished my argument, I asked 
my friend what he meant. He replied, " Placerville is 
entirely wiped out by fire; nothing has been saved." I 
returned home, and learned that a fire had broken out 
near the Carey House, at the foot of Main Street, at the 
west end of the city, and as the town was in a canon 
running nearly east and west, and there being a strong 
west wind, and everything very dry, the flames would 
leap forty and fifty feet from building to building, firing 
the roofs, and in less than thirty minutes the town was 
all in flames. It was Sunday, and my wife was in 



334 Life and Adventures of 

church, not far from my office. She rushed to the office, 
and with the assistance of a few friends had secured the 
most of my Hbrary, conveying the books to the rear of 
the building into a mining tunnel. My house was situ- 
ated on a Kill outside of the town, and was safe. But 
my entire block of buildings on Main Street, that I had 
just finished at a cost of thirteen thousand dollars, was 
entirely destroyed, and I was left with my library and 
one thousand dollars (my fee in the case I was trying) 
and with three thousand dollars owing me from T, B. 
Andrian & Co., mill men, to be paid in lumber There 
was no insurance in those days in Placerville. 

This fire occurred on the 5th of July, 1856. In the 
course of a couple of months I had filled the burned 
space in my tract with a block of cheap buildings, and 
again continued my business till the summer of 1857, 
when I found that many of the mines were exhausted, 
and that Placerville had seen its best days. And I had 
further become satisfied that every blow struck in a 
mining county was exhausting the native wealth of the 
county, while each blow struck in an agricultural county 
was increasing its wealth. Hence I was resolved to 
seek a location in an agricultural region, and having 
favorable reports from Sonoma County, I made up my 
mind to visit that quarter with a view to finding a loca- 
tion. Having relatives living in Green Valley, Sonoma 
County, I mounted my horse and set out for that point. 
I had paid them a flying visit in 1855, but saw very 
little of the country. On my second visit I spent a 
short time with my friends and in the coast country, 
when A. J. Steele, my brother-in-law, suggested that we 
visit the Geysers, which we accordingly did. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 835 

Returning from this tour, I became favorably impressed 
with the then small hamlet of Healdsburg, and the 
broad acres of Dry Creek and Russian River bottom- 
land lying on each side of the town site, while the little 
town itself was embowered in and overshadowed by a 
luxuriant shade of native oaks, with its varied and 
picturesque scenery, with water as pure as ever flowed 
from a crystal fountain, a healthful clitnatc, without 
sand-flics, gnats, or mosquitoes to afflict humanity. I 
resolved to settle in Ilealdsburg, and take my chances 
to make a living at my profession. Among the first to 
renew an acquaintance at this place was "old man" 
Forsee, with whom I had been acquainted in El Dorado 
County. The old man informed me that there was a 
fine opening in Sonoma County, but that I must not go 
in with the land-grabbers. This was all new to me, and 
I was led to make inquiries as to what he meant by 
land-grabbers, when he proceeded to inform me that the 
country was covered with spurious grants, purporting to 
be Mexican grants, but which were all fraudulent; and 
that he (1^'orsce) had united himself with the settlers to 
resist the claimants under Mexican title, both legally 
and forcibly. 

Judge Forsee also said that the Fitch or Sotoyome 
Rancho was a fraud, that the patent issued therefor was 
a fraud, that on two sides there were no boundaries, etc., 
etc. I visited Santa Rosa for the purpose of learning 
the facts from the records, when, instead of finding the 
grant without boundaries, I found the entire estate de- 
fined by the most substantial lines, and that the United 
States patent had been on record for more than five 
years. I returned to Healdsburg and opened an office, 



336 Life and Adventures of 

and soon found that all legal proceedings at this place 
amounted to a grand " comedy of errors," — deeds 
embracing sales of both real and personal property, one- 
half of them without a seal, many without acknowledg- 
ments, etc. 

The first*' case in which I was engaged was, The People 
of the State of California vs. Charles P. McPherson,, 
charged with an assault with a deadly weapon. I was 
employed on the defense, and one James Reynolds (now 
dead) was prosecutor. The justice, instead of sitting as 
a committing magistrate, took jurisdiction of the case to 
try it. I did not demur to the jurisdiction of the court. 
The evidence disclosed the fact that my client had, in 
the town of Geyserville, struck the complaining witness 
with a small stick, about one inch in diameter; but, un- 
fortunately, there was a large-sized splitting chisel at one 
end of it, used for splitting iron in a blacksmith shop. 
I convinced the jury that it was not among the deadly 
weapons described in the statute, and my man was ac- 
quitted on that charge, but, under the advice of his 
counsel, McPherson pleaded guilty to an assault and 
battery. Receipts of first month's practice, thirty dol- 
lars. 

About this time a gentleman stepped into the office 
and introduced himself as Egbert Judson, of San Fran- 
cisco, and sa'd: " I am part owner and agent of the new 
Sotoyc me Rancho. The ranch is covered with redwood 
timber, and is only valuable for the timber, and I am 
being robbed by more than a hundred trespassers, who 
are cutting down and carrying away my timber in lum- 
ber, pickets, shakes, rails, and for other uses. The 
entire valley has been and is being fenced from my 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 337 

land. I started up here to see if I could do anything to 
save it. I stated my object to Col. S. H. Fitch, on 
the boat coming up, and told him that I was going to 
see if I could employ some attorney in Santa Rosa who 
would try and save my property. He replied that the 
man I wanted was in Healdsburg, that he knew you 
well, having served through the Mexican War with you, 
and if you undertook it you would accomplish it or die 
trying. He at the .same time remiarked that the squatters 
were a set of desperate men, and that he expected they 
would kill any one who should attempt to stop their 
trespassing. I told him that his assurances were truly 
refreshing, nevertheless, for a reasonable consideration, I 
would undertake it. After having fixed on a compensa- 
tion, I said: "Go back to San Francisco; you are afraid 
of these men, and within two weeks you will find your 
worst fears realized, or I will be in possession of your 
land." 

Judson returned to San Francisco, and I was in some- 
what of a quandary how to commence my task, being 
fully alive to the magnitude of the undertaking; I was 
aware that about a month before my arrival in Healds- 
burg, a mob had taken and destroyed the field notes of 
Surveyor-General Tracy, gave him four hours to leave 
or hang, and that a like mob had chased Dr. L. C. 
Frisbie, he only escaping by being mounted on a fleet 
horse, and from the known character of some with 
whom I had to deal, I could scarcely hope to come out 
of the contest alive. First I thought I had better com- 
mence in the district court and call to my aid a sheriffs 
/)osse coinitatus, and again I feared that that course would 
induce the trespas.sers to think that I was personally 



338 Life and Adventures of 

afraid of them ; but a notice from them two days after 
my appointment, decided my course of action. 

The notice which I received informed me that, if I 
dared to show myself in the redwoods, 1 would be 
hanged to the first tree. Accordingly the next day I 
loaded myself down with iron and steel, got a horse, 
and started for the redwoods alone, having previously 
learned that their leader was a six-foot-and-a-half 
Irishman, a perfect giant, by the name of McCabe, who 
would sally forth from his mountain hiding-place, come 
to Healdsburg, get half drunk, whip out the town, and 
return to the redwoods, where he had his family. On 
my approach to the redwoods I inquired for McCabe's 
shanty, and on reaching it I found him seated on his 
shaving-horse making shingles. I dismounted, hitched 
my horse, advanced toward him and said, '* Is your 
name McCabe ? " He replied in the affirmative. I 
added, " Fighting McCabe ? " " They call me so some- 
times." I then said, " Well, sir, I am that detested 
Judson's agent that you propose to hang to the nearest 
limb, and have come to surrender myself for execution ; 
my name is Norton." He dallied a moment with his 
drawing-knife and then said, " Suppose we carry our 
threat into execution ? " I made answer that no doubt 
they had force enough in the woods to do it, but there 
would be some of them that would not be worth hang- 
ing by the time it was done. He then queried, "Well, 
Norton, what do you propose to do with us ? " I replied, 
" Mack, I intend to put every devil of you out of the 
woods, unless you carry your threat into execution." 
He was silent for a minute, then said: " Well, you look 
and act as if you meant all you say." I answered, 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 339 

'* I mean every word of it." " Well," said he, " in case I 
leave, how long will you give a fellow to get off with his 
stealings ?" I said, " How long do you want, Mack?" 
He replied, " A week or ten days." I asked, " Is two 
weeks sufficient?" He replied, "It is." "Will you 
leave at that time?" "I will." I said, "That is enough 
between gentlemen." Mack left according to agreement. 

I then went out into the woods where the axes were 
cracking on every side, some chopping, some splitting 
rails, others sawing bolts; in fact, it was a busy place. 
W^hen I approached them I asked what they thought 
they were doing there, if they did not know they were 
trespassers? They wanted to know who I was and 
what business I had there. I answered, " I am the 
agent of Egbert Judson, the owner of this land and tim- 
ber, and I forbid you to cut another stick, and intend to 
make you pay for the trespass already committed. They 
commenced to gather around me, using the most in- 
sulting language; one of them, pointing to a large limb 
on a spreading oak, said, " We will give you just two 
minutes to get out of this, and, unless you are gone by 
that time, we will string you up to that limb." I drew 
a revolver and cocked it, and told them to keep their 
distance, that I would kill the first one that attempted 
to advance. I then asked them to give me their names, 
as I intended to prosecute them, each and every devil. 
They gave me a laughable list, which I will not attempt 
to copy here. After informing them that they were a 
set of cowardly scoundrels and not a gentleman in the 
crowd, I left them and returned to Healdsburg. 

Johnson Ireland was the justice of the peace, and a 
firm, positive, honest man; and being satisfied that I 



340 Life and Adventures of 

could trust him, I brought about a hundred suits, using 
all the aliases I could think of, placed the papers in the 
hands of an officer, with instructions to serve on all he 
could find in the woods, except my Irish giant, and to 
obtain their real names if possible. The actions were for 
trespass upon personal property, for taking and carrying 
away posts, rails, pickets, etc. I think the officer got serv- 
ice on sixty-two persons. The cases were set forbearing 
at twelve o'clock noon. The parties did not arrive in 
time, and I took a default against the crowd; but at two 
o'clock in the afternoon of the same day, as I was 
seated in my office (which was on the second floor over 
a store on West Street) conversing with a friend, I heard 
some one hallooing on the street. I walked to the bal- 
cony and saw that the street was crowded with men. 
Their spokesman called out, "Well, old fellow, there is 
a friend of mine up in the redwoods who wants to compro- 
mise with you." I inquired his friend's name. He re- 
plied: "D — n you, if you want his name find it out 
the way you found ours." I said, " It is very unkind in 
you not to give your friend's name, but as the business 
of the day is over with me, I will attend to it; I think, 
however, you are mistaken in your man. It is not 
Norton you are hunting; it is Surveyor-General Tracy, 
or Dr. Frisbie that you are after; but as you will not 
give your frienj's name, I will accompany you to see 
him. I will go with one of you, two of you, or three 
of you, or I will go with your crowd; or I will be 
fairer still, I will agree to come down there and whale 
any one of you so blind .that your wife will not know 
you when you get home again. I know your kind bet- 
ter than you know yourselves." Instead of rushing for 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 341 

me, as my friend had anticipated, they commenced Cath- 
erine,^ in knots, and at the end of an hour there was not 
one of them on the street. Thus ended their first and 
last attempt to mob me. 

My next adventure was in removing squatters from 
the east side of Russian River. Judson had sent a man 
by the name of A. J. Soulcs with a flock of sheep on 
his own land on the Sotoyome Rancho, to pasture. 
The squatters (numbering sixteen famiUcs) went- and 
removed Soules and the sheep from the grant, admon- 
ishing him that it would not be safe to return. Judg- 
ment in ejectment was obtained against those men in 
the federal court at San Francisco, but no one had 
dared to attempt to enforce it. Having been success- 
ful in driving the trespassers from the redwoods, Judson 
came to the conclusion that perhaps I might gain pos- 
session of his other land. After consultation, I directed 
him to send me a deputy from the United States mar- 
shal's office, with the writs of ejectment, which he did. 
We went over to the field of our new labors about five 
o'clock in the evening, having previously sent them 
notice of my intention to remove them unless they 
would enter into a lease, and recognize our title. We 
found them all at the house where we proposed to com- 
mence, all armed with knives or pistols. Over an hour 
was consumed in trying to get the party to sign a lease, 
but to no purpose. The evening was chilly, and I could 
not think oi^ throwing a woman and small children out at 
that time of the evening. Accordingly, I told them that 
I would be there at eight o'clock the following morning 
to put them out. At the appointed hour we were on 
hand, and found them all there. I again tendered the 



342 Life and Adventures of 

lease, which was refused. I cocked my revolver, took 
my position in the gateway, and directed the marshal to 
throw the goods out of the house, which he proceeded 
to do. They made a demonstration as though they 
intended to make a rush. I warned them to keep back. 
The marshal got all out but the woman. He came to 
the door and said, " I cannot get this woman out." I 
told him to take my revolver and keep the men back, 
and I would attend to her. I walked in, found her 
seated in the middle of the floor, and said, *' Madame, it 
becomes my unpleasant duty to remove you," at the 
same time stepping quickly to her back, bending over 
and putting my hands beneath her so as to carry her out. 
She sprang to her feet, exclaiming, '' I guess I can go 
out myself." After the woman had surrendered the 
citadel, the man (whose name, I believe, was Weber) 
remarked that, if it were not too late, he would sign the 
lease. I replied that it was never tod late for me to 
ameliorate the condition of my fellow-man, and handed 
him the lease, which he signed. We then went from 
house to house and all the occupants signed leases. 
Thus Judson was restored to his land on the old Soto- 
yome Rancho. 

CHAPTER XLI. 

THE SQUATTER WAR — CONTINUED. 

THE Russian River and Dry Creek valleys at this time 
were nearly all in the hands of the squatters, which 
territory was covered with Mexican grants, as follows: 
Sotoyome or Fitch Grant, eight leagues; New Soto- 
yome, three leagues; the Tzabaco Grant, containing 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 343 



something over four leagues. The titles were all con- 
firmed, and patents issued and on record. Notwith- 
standing all this, the squatters in possession had their 
secret leagues all over the county, and forcibly resisted 
all efforts to dispossess them, and the law seemed to 
be entirely a dead letter; actions in ejectment were pros- 
ecuted to judgment; writs of restriction were issued and 
placed in the hands of officers, but resistance was made 
by armed force; the military was called out — a requisi- 
tion for the militia on one side, and Captain Forsee 
mustering two thousand squatters on the other side. 
Parties would be evicted one day, and the next morn- 
ing would find them in possession of the same premises 
they had been ejected from the day before. Two thou- 
sand men had met and confronted each other in blood- 
less combat; both parties marched and countermarched 
until the farce was played out. By express command 
of the sheriff, I was excluded from these wars, and the 
affair was finally left where it commenced. Though 
the fairest domain on which the sun ever shone, yet 
people shunned it, as there was no title or undisputed 
possession. 

Things were in this condition when Dr. L. C. Frisbie 
of Vallejo, employed me to look after his interests in the 
Sotoyome Rancho. I took his business in hand, and 
succeeded in making some sales and getting along pretty 
smoothly for a few months; but it became necessary to 
bring several suits in ejectment, which I prosecuted to 
judgment. One of them was against Riland Arbuckle, 
on a portion of the Sotoyome Rancho, and as he was a 
boastful, blowing fellow, I thought I would go for him 
first. The sheriff dispossessed the party, and levied upon 



344 Life and Adventures of 

a quantity of sacked barley, which we removed to the 
house for safety. The squatters said they would not 
resist the officer, but that Arbuckle should be placed in 
possession again before morning, and that old Norton 
had better leave with the sheriff if he knew what was 
good for him. I, however, thought differently. My 
client was not there, and I had determined to try strength 
of nerve with them, and had secured the services of seven 
young men to aid me. We were all supplied with double- 
barreled shot-guns and plenty of ammunition. The 
sheriff had retired, and about a dozen of the squatters 
lingered for a time. I had gone out to reconnoiter the 
premises, when they commenced talking very rough to 
the boys, telling them that they had better leave, as 
every one of them would be killed before morning, etc. 
The boys were telling them that they were not there to 
fight, but merely to hold possession under the law. In 
the early part of the conversation I had slipped up be- 
hind a large oak tree where I could hear every word that 
passed, and at this juncture I sprang from my conceal- 
ment and exclaimed, "Youarea bombasticset of cowards; 
you have dared me to hold these premises; now go home 
and rally your forces for your night attack; you will find 
*old Norton ' at his post." My boys all bustled up and 
told them to go or they would boot them, and finally 
bluffed the fellows from the ground; but on riding off 
they called back that we would see them again before 
morning. 

We then made breast-works of the sacks of barley in 
the house, with loop-holes through the thin siding, and 
before it was quite dark I placed patrols up and down 
the road with instructions, if they should see the enemy 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 34^ 



approach in force, to retreat to our fortification and 
notify us; but if the enemy advanced too fast, they 
were to fire a revolver as a signal and make good their 
retreat. About eleven o'clock I heard the discharge of 
a revolver, and the two outposts came rushing in and 
said there was a large company of horsemen rapidly 
approaching. I formed the command outside of the 
house, under a large laurel tree, where it was quite dark. 
I ordered them to drop down upon their faces on the 
ground. On came the horsemen, from eighty to one 
hundred strong. When they got opposite to us and 
about four rods distant, I ordered, "Ready!" AH the 
locks clicked audibly. I said, "Reserve your fire till 
they attempt to cross the fence." The horsemen wav- 
ered for a moment, then with a right-about-face made 
equally as good time in getting away as they did in 
coming. I was satisfied that we had not seen the last 
of them, and in consequence of this impression I kept a 
vigilant watch. About two o'clock in the morning one 
of my sentinels came running in and said there was a 
large crowd creeping along the fence. I ordered my 
force to keep perfectly quiet. 1 took my old rifle that I 
had had in camp, and skulked along the fence to within 
about a hundred yards of the foremost of the approach- 
ing party, when I slipped out and fired a shot about ten 
feet over their heads. At this there was another general 
stampede, and we were again in peaceable possession of 
the Arbuckle place. 

I continued to eject the squatters from Frisbie's tracts, 

with greater or less resistance, until I had reduced the 

whole to possession. It now seemed to be the general 

opinion that I was the only one who could successfully 

23 



340 Life and Adventures of 

cope with squatters, and John N. Bailhache, as one of 
the Fitch heirs, or rather tenant by courtesy, having 
married Miss Josephine Fitch, had a large tract of land 
covered by squatters, and had made many futile attempts 
to expel them. They had become so well organized, 
and so confident of their ability to forcibly hold the 
premises, that they actually paraded the streets of Healds- 
bur"-, both men and women, with music and banners 
waving, and seemed to think that if they could only get 
rid of Bailhache they would be secure in their homes. 
In accordance with this idea, they made a raid on him 
and forced him to secrete himself in the Raney HoteL 
Seeing his danger, I marched out with a cocked revolver 
in each hand, meeting the mob, and persuaded them 
that I was the man they wanted, and not Bailhache; but 
they came to the conclusion that they did not want either 
of us, and retired, still holding forcible possession of his 
lands. Mr. Bailhache about this time discovered that 
he had business at Fort Yuma; so he moved his family 
to Santa Rosa and departed. 

A few months afterward I received a letter and power 
of attorney from Mr. Bailhache at Fort Yuma, giving 
me full authority to enter upon any and all his lands 
in Sonoma County, and expel squatters, etc. I com- 
menced operations under this power, but not until after 
I had convinced the sheriff that his was not much of an 
office anyhow, and he had agreed to turn it over to his 
under-sheriff in case he could furnish the necessary bonds, 
which I believe were about thirty thousand dollars; and I 
asfreed to furnish ten thousand, in consideration of hav- 
ing the privilege of selecting my own deputy for Healds- 
burg. This was carried out, and I chose J. D. Bins, and 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 347 

adopted a new system of warfare. I put in teams and 
went to work hauling off the fencing from the farms on 
the west side of Dry Creek, thus rendering the land use- 
less to the holders. This drove them to desperation. 
The teams had been hauling all day, and at evening 
when they were coming in with the last load for the 
day, as they were approaching Dry Creek, my team be- 
ing in the rear with five or six men upon the wagon, my 
brother among the number, two shots from rifles were 
discharged in rapid succession, and a bullet from one of 
them struck a Mr. Ferguson just above the knee, and 
running down the leg shattered the bones in a terrible 
manner; it was a death shot. My brother drove him to 
town as fast as possible, but he never rallied from the 
nervous shock, and died the next day. 

Until this murderous attack I had not been thoroughly 
aroused, but after the death and burial of young Ferguson 
I took di posse of ten men, all thoroughly armed, and went 
with them in person. Stationing a few outposts to pre- 
vent any further shooting from the brush, I commenced 
throwing out goods from the houses and burning the 
buildings to the ground. In this way I went from house 
to house, until I burned down all the dwellings on the Bail- 
hache premises occupied by squatters. They followed us 
up en masse, and at length one of them said, " I would 
like to know who sets those buildings on fire; I would 
make them smart legally." I replied, " What, you ap- 
peal to the law, who have so long trampled law and jus- 
tice beneath your feet! You shall be gratified!" I said, 
"Jim Brown, fire that house." The house was soon in 
flames. I then said to the squatters, " Now take your 
legal remedy." Brown (a brother of Mayor Brown, of 



348 Life and Adventures of 

Santa Rosa) was indicte , but a noL pros, was entered in 
the case, as the house was mine, and I having authorized 
the act; there being no property of others in it, nor no 
living being, under our statute the act was legal. Some 
of the houses were gooi two-story buildings, ' but I 
treated them as I would have done a lot of rats' nests; 
under the circumstances there was no alternative. 

Although I had reduced the dwellings to smouldering 
ruins, the squatters continued to hang around, like the 
French soldiers around a burning Moscow, until the ele- 
ments drove them away to the hills, where some of them 
put up temporary abodes on the adjacent Government 
land. In our attempt to keep the raiders from the dif- 
ferent places, we had only been successful in gaining 
possession of a small portion, and in order to perpetuate 
my possession, I commenced repairing the fences, and 
on two or three occasions in the night they fired them. 
But I was ever on the alert, and discovered the fire in 
time to prevent much damage. 

My next effort was to find some one who would dare 
take possession of some one of the places. At last I 
found a man by the name of Peacock, a powerful, reso- 
lute fellow, who proposed to purchase a piece of the 
land which a man by the name of Clark had been claim- 
ing, and whose house had been burned down. He con- 
tracted and -entered into possession, and guarded a fine 
lot of hay, a volunteer crop growing on the place. The 
hay had matured and he had cut and cocked it, but in 
the meantime, contrary to my counsel, he had made 
great friends with and confidents of the squatters who 
had been evicted, and among other things told them 
that he was going to see my brother the next day, to 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 34^ 

get his team to bale hay, and should be absent that 
night. I strongly opposed it, while he assured me that 
everything would be safe, but did not convince me. I 
was on the watch, and about two o'clock in the morn- 
ing I discovered a bright light arising from the neighbor- 
hood of* Peacock's hay. I rushed around, awakened 
Bailhache, Ransom Powell, and two or three others, 
and started for the scene of the fire. We succeeded in 
saving about one-third of the hay. 

On Peacock's return it was impossible to convince 
him that the Prouses had any hand in this, or that they 
knew anything of it. He continued his former relations 
with them for about a month after this time, having 
gone to board with them. One day a dispute arose at 
the dinner table, and the two Prouse brothers set upon 
him, one of them armed with something that the evi- 
dence afterwards disclosed as being somewhat like a 
butcher's cleaver. They cut and hacked Peacock up in 
a terrible manner, so that for a long time his life was 
despaired of. For this offense I had Daniel Prouse sent 
to the penitentiary, and we continued to hold possession. 
The land being desirable farming land, others, see- 
ing that our title could be maintained, commenced pur- 
chasing; and thus Bailhache was restored to his pos- 
session, which put an end to the squatter difficulty on 
the Sotoyome Rancho. 



350 LiP^E AND Adventures of 

CHAPTER XLII. 

THE SQUATTER WAR — CONTINUED. 

ABOUT this time I was requested to take charge of the 
Tzabaco Rancho, by John B. Frisbie and W. H. Pat- 
terson, of San Francisco, sending the request by James 
Clark, then sheriff of Sonoma County, who held writs 
of ejectment against all the settlers on the Russian 
River side of the grant. I had been acting for them 
for more than two years as their agent, selling and leas- 
ing the Dry Creek portion, where they met with but 
little opposition to their title. But before stating my 
action on the Russian River Valley, I must state one 
incident that occurred on the Dry Creek portion. I had 
been up Dry Creek serving some notices on parties who 
had not paid up, and was returning, mounted on a gen- 
tle little mare; and while jogging along, right opposite 
the widow Bell's old place, where there was an old 
watering trough and spring at a large redwood stump, 
surrounded by a dense growth of redwood sprouts, a 
shot was fired. I felt a concussion, and at the same 
instant my mare made a jump sideways, nearly throwing 
me from my saddle. I recovered myself and dismounted. 
I saw the brush wiggle and shake, and made for the 
point. The party took to his heels, running through 
the thick brush and up a very steep hill, and I only got 
a sight of his back. He wore a bluish-gray coat and a 
low black hat, and was rather a short man, and that was 
all I could tell of my would-be assassin. I was unarmed 
and had no way of stopping him. On examination, I 
discovered that the bullet had passed through both sides 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 351 

■of my vest, having entered the right side high in the 
breast, passing through my outer shirt, in front, and out 
at the left side. This was at a time when stran^rers 
thought us a set of desperadoes here, and there was but 
little said about it, as I did not wish to add to our repu- 
tation in that line. When I came in I showed it to Bail- 
hache, D. F. Spurr, and, may be, two or three more. I 
still have the vest, and if this reaches the eye of the 
perpetrator of the deed he may congratulate himself on 
the fact that I could not recognize him. 

And now to the squatters on the Russian River side 
of the grant, hostile almost to a man. When the sheriff 
informed me that he was under my instructions, I told 
him to go home and if I needed him I would let him 
know. I then wrote to Frisbie and Patterson, and told 
them that in case I entered upon the hazard of attempt- 
ing to manage the squatters, they must give me an un- 
conditional power to survey, segregate, and sell all the 
lands upon such terms and time as I should deem proper, 
being accountable to no one for my actions in its dispo-* 
sition. They immediately sent me the power, which 
was communicated to the settlers in a very exaggerated 
manner, they being led to believe that I would eject them 
from their homes without an opportunity of purchasing 
at any price. Whereupon their secret organization met, 
I having two trusty friends in that organization, who 
hastened to me and communicated to me so much of 
the proceedings as in their judgment was necessary to 
preserve my life. I was told by them that it was deter- 
mined in counsel that my death was essential in order 
to defeat the measures about to be carried into effect; 
and they had adopted a resolution that if I ever showed 



852 Life and Adventures of 

myself upon the Tzabaco Rancho I was to be killed like 
a snake by whqever discovered me; and in addition to 
this, they balloted to see whose duty it was to be my 
special executioner and hunt me out and kill me. These 
men begged of me, under the circumstances, not to come 
onto the grant. I fully comprehended the fact that the 
settlers were in a state of desperation, as we held one 
judgment over them in the sum of ten thousand dollars, 
for use and occupation of the premises, and another 
judgment of ten thousand dollars obtained on injunction 
bond, making a total of twenty thousand dollars; to- 
gether with writs of ejectment against every one of 
them. 

After due reflection, I resolved to " beard the lion in 
his den," and to fight the devil with fire, and when I was 
all. ready, I hitched my pony to the buggy, and started 
for the Tzabaco Rancho. After placing a quart bottle 
of old Bourbon under the buggy seat, and arming my- 
self in case of trouble, I drove to the ranch, which is 
*about six miles from Healdsburg, following the Geyser- 
ville road, and adjoining the Sotoyome Rancho on the 
west. I drove up opposite the house of one Captain 
Vessor, then living close to the line, and saw the old 
captain in his yard hewing out a plow-beam. I stopped 
my horse, and called out, " Captain Vessor, will you step 
this way?" He dropped his ax, and came to the road; 
when about five or six feet from the buggy he raised his 
spectacles, and recognizing me, he instantly became as 
black as a thunder-cloud. I jumped out of the buggy,, 
and confronting him, said, " I am informed that you men 
have in solemn conclave determined to shoot and scalp- 
me if I ever came on this grant, and as shooting is a 



Colon Ki. L. A. Norton. 353 



I 



[,^'imc that two may play at, I will commence now," at 
the same time runninjr my hand under the bu^'^^y seat. 
The old cai)tain threw up both hands and comtnenced 
running backwards, exclaimin^^ "Don't, don't." "I'll 
be han^^ed, if I don't !" said I, at the same time brin^rjn^r 
the whisky bottle to bear Uj^on him. A pleasurable 
sensation, after the most abject fear, wrr^u^ht another 
change in the captain, when he lauf^hin^ly exclaimed: 
" Oh, God ! you mi^^ht have shot me with that lon^ ago." 
I then ^rave the r;ld man a "shot in the neck," and bade 
him '^ct into the buggy; but I frankly told him that I was 
through joking and meant business; that for the present 
he was my j;risr;ner, anrl must go with me. lU: very 
reluctantly complied and I drove to Geyserville, only 
holding him hostage to insure my rnvn safety. 

At this place I met Dr. K\y, who I had good reason 
to believe was the brains and managing man of the 
squatters, he being a man <>[ intellect, and a f^iir-minded, 
reasonable man upon all subjects exce[)ting the one at 
issue. I dismissed Vessor, "shot" ICly, anrl took him in 
. the buggy,and continued my journeythroughthe Tzabaco 
Kancho. I informed the doctor that I came up to sell 
them their lanrls, and that I proposerl to give every man 
a reasonable chance of paying for the f^irm I sold him. 
I was aware that the lands had been held too high; that 
the owners were honest in their cfjnvictions of the value 
of the land, but were mistaken; and for that reason 
T had refused to take the agency until they gave me 
ia?^^e blanche to dispose of them according to my own 
judgment. " J^ut," he said, with ajij^arent surprise, " you 
do not propose to .sell me my place ? " " Why not ? " I 
a.sked. He replied, " I have always heard that you said 



354 Life and Adventures of 

you would not sell my place, but had selected it for 
yourself." " That," said I, " is just as true as many other 
things you have heard about me. I am a Western man, 
and am anxious to see every man have his home, and 
will sell to you just the same as to the rest." " But," 
said he, " if disposed to purchase, how can we ? We are 
bankrupts; with the twenty thousand dollars judgments 
hanging over us, we can do nothing." I told him that 
it was not necessary to tell me that they were bankrupts, 
for I knew it; and continued, "It is not necessary to tell 
me that you are a set of ruined and desperate men; I 
know it. It is not necessary for you to say, in case I 
attempt to execute the writs of ejectment which I hold 
against you, that these fair domains will be left black- 
ened ruins, and that the inhabitants will retire to their 
mountain fastnesses and wage war against human nature 
at large, for I already know it, and in my present action 
have given due heed to it all; yet I am going to sell 
every man of you your farms, and as fast as you pur- 
chase I shall wipe the judgment out against the pur- 
chaser and again place you in the position of freemen." 
The doctor frankly admitted that if that was my in- 
tention, then I had been greatly misrepresented to them. 
I told him that, having unlimited power, I intended to 
b3 a benefactor and not an oppressor of the people. 
The doctor took me at my word, rode through the set- 
tlement with me, and advised the settlers to purchase 
their homes, which seemed to them unusual advice. I 
notified them that, on the following Thursday, I would 
be at Captain Vessor's for the purpose of going with 
them over every man's place, and fixing a price upon it 
per acre. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 355 

I was there at the time appointed, and met the entire 
settlement, and went over every place, fixing my price 
upon the land as I passed over, and to my surprise and 
satisfaction every one of them thought that I had put a 
fair price upon his neighbor's land, but had got his a 
little too high. The result was that every man purchased 
his farm within the ensuing six weeks, paying one-fourth 
down and getting three years to pay the balance, at one 
per cent per month interest. And what was still more 
satisfactory, by the enlargement of time of payment, all 
succeeded in paying for their farms, and thus ended the 
squatter war that had been kept up for over seven years 
in the northern portion of this county. 

But before dismissing the subject I must say, in justi- 
fication of these men, that the most of them, in my 
■judgment, were honest in their convictions that the 
claimants either had no title to the lands, or if they had 
a title it was fraudulent; and that many of them to-day 
are among our most respected and prominent citizens. 
Our old feuds are now looked upon as a feverish and 
disturbing dream, or treated as a subject of mirth, and 
as for myself, the most of the men who once wanted to 
see my throat cut are among my warmest friends. 1 
will here append a set of resolutions, expressing their 
feelings toward me after our fight was over: — 

"At a meeting of the citizens of Washington Township, 
and on the 'Tzabaco Grant,' held this day, without 
distinction of party, the following preamble and resolu- 
tions were unanimously adopted: — 

"Whereas, It having become known to us that statements are being 
publicly made to the effect that Capt L. A. Norton, of Healdsburg, is re- 
garded with unfriendly feelings by the citizens and settlers of this town- 
ship, and knowing such statements to be wholly untrue and unjust to Cap- 
tain Norton, it is hereby 



356 Life and Adventures of 

^'■Resolved, That we recognize in Capt. L. A. Norton, a gentleman of 
great firmness of purpose, and energy in the discharge of duty; entirely 
impartial as agent between grant holders and settlers — and that his cour- 
tesy and friendship as evinced toward all who wished to secure their homes, 
demand and receive our hearty approbation and respect, and that we en- 
tertain for him none but the kindliest feelings. 

''Resolved, That all statements and assertions made in relation to Capt. 
L. A. Norto.n in connection with ourselves, which are not in accordance 
with the above, are untrue, and very unjust to both Captain Norton and 
ourselves. 

''Resolved, That the Secretary forward a copy of the proceedings of this 
meeting to the Sonoma Democrat, and one to the Russian River Flag, re- 
questing them to publish the same. 

"(Signed) DOWNING Lamb, President. 

"Elisha Ely, Secretary'' 

I can now look back with surprise at many of my 
foolhardy adventures while engaged as Egbert Judson's 
agent on the Sotoyome Rancho. I had occasion to 
cross Russian River to look after his interests and went 
over in the morning, crossing the ferry then owned by a 
man by the name of Kibbe. It was lowering weather 
when I went over, and as the day advanced it set in a 
drizzling rain. I was absent the whole day, and as I 
came back at night to the river it was getting a little 
dusky. The ferry-boat was kept on the opposite side of 
the river. I commenced hallooing for the boat, but no 
one paid any attention to me. I know they must have 
heard me, for I could hear them talking on the oppo- 
site side; could hear the chopping of wood at the house- 
Well I hallooed and bawled at them until I got tired' 
and began to consider what I was to do. There was 
no house nearer than the Fitches, and they were entire 
strangers to me. 

The river was much swollen by recent rains and the 
flood-wood was coming down the stream pretty freely. 
I was somewhat wet by the falling rain, and at last made 
up my mind to attempt to ford the stream. I hunted 



Colonel L.*A. Norton. 357 



out a long pole to brace myself from the lower side and 
waded into the swift current, I continued to wade, 
bracing myself with the pole, and in that manner I made 
my w^ay across. In the middle of the stream the water 
came up to the points of my shoulders; it was late in the 
season, the water was very cold, and I got badly chilled. 
I vyas a strict temperance man, but one druggist insisted 
on fixing me up a dose, which I took. I thought for 
awhile there was a small-sized volcano inside of me, and 
for a time I felt pretty boozy. The next morning I 
drew up a complaint against Kibbe and was about pro- 
ceeding against him for damages, when he came into my 
office, in company with Mr. Hugh Patton, and wanted 
me to hold on and not prosecute my action. He said 
the river was so high that it was dangerous to run the 
ferry-boat owing to the flood-wood. I told him that 
I thought his defense would be a poor one, when it was 
shown that I had waded the stream. Mr. Patton 
informed me that he was about buying the ferry, and if 
I would stop my action no one should ever again be put 
to a similar annoyance, and it should never cost me a 
cent to cross while he owned it. I didn't accept his 
last offer, but I stayed the action. 



CHAPTER XLIII. 

CLIPPINGS. 
[From the "History of Sonoma County."] 

IN 1 86 1 or '62 there was a regiment of volunteers or- 
ganized in Kane County, Illinois. They met in 
companies at Batavia to perfect the organization; they 
first proceeded to elect their major; second, their lieu- 



358 Life and Adventures of 



tenant-colonel, when, on motion, a recess of fifteen min- 
utes was taken, when it was proposed that the health of 
Captain Norton be drank standing, which was informally 
carried out. When the meeting resumed business it 
was moved and carried that Capt. L. A. Norton be 
elected colonel of the regiment by acclamation, which 
motion was put and carried unanimously. Whereupon 
Capt. P. J. Burchell moved that a copy of the proceed- 
ings of this meeting be forwarded to Colonel Norton, by 
its secretary, with the request that he come home and 
take charge of his regiment, which his situation in this 
county forbade him doing, for at that time the captain 
(or more legitimately the colonel) had his hands full at 
home. We are informed by reliable persons that the 
northern part of Sonoma County is much indebted to 
the firmness and energy of the colonel in keeping down 
an outbreak, as that portion of the county boasted a 
strong secession element, and when it was asserted that 
no recruits to join the Federal army would ever live to 
cross Russian River, he organized and secretly drilled 
the Union forces, and was at all times ready to meet the 
threatened outbreak. And when it was said that no 
Union flag should ever float in Healdsburg, he went 
immediately to Petaluma, purchased one, placed it on 
the top of his carriage, carried it through the country 
to Healdsburg, and nailed it to his balcony, where it 
continued to wave. When it was reported that a rebel 
flag was floating from the top of a high tree, between 
Santa Rosa and Sonoma, Norton made it his business 
to go down there, in open day, climb the tree and remove 
the flag. And we are informed that it is now in the 
possession of Mrs. Molloy, of San Francisco, the colonel 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 359 

having presented the same to Dr. E. B. Molloy, now 
deceased. The colonel still practices his profession in 
Healdsburg, and we believe he possesses the confidence 
of the whole community, as a careful, honest, and able 
member of the bar. 

[From the San Francisco Alia California.] 

" Healdsburg, November 12, 1861. 

"Editors AltA: On yesterday the citizens of our 
town were called to the banks of Russian River to wit- 
ness the launching of a small boat, built by Mr. Johnson, 
for the trial of Capt. L. A. Norton's newly invented 
wheel. 

"The boat is nineteen feet long with four feet beam; 
the wheels are four feet in diameter, with eight buckets 
each. Each bucket is composed of five paddles, which 
are perpendicular to the shaft, worked by simple ma- 
chinery, so that each bucket is a full, solid bucket, by 
the folding together of the paddles when it strikes the 
water; and on leaving the water it is again thrown open, 
lifting no dead water, nor offering any resistance to the 
air until it is ready to perform labor again. 

" When a large crowd had convened at the place, the 
craft was named by Mr. Norton after W. W. Stow of 
San Francisco, who was present, and made a few brief 
remarks. The IV. IV. Stow was then launched upon 
the water, and propelled by two men,- at a crank on the 
shaft. She moved off gracefully, amid the cheers of the 
crowd, and the thrilling music of the Russian River Brass 
Band, which attended to enliven the .^occasion. After 
she had run up and down the river for several hours, ex- 
hibiting great speed and beauty and regularity of mo- 



360 Life and Adventures of 

tion, the crowd dispersed, satisfied that the new wheel 
must undoubtedly prove a success, and that it is the 
very thing for which the world has been experimenting 
for the last thirty years. W. A. M." 

Subseq-iiently the annexed notice appeared in the 
*' City Items " department of the same journal:^ 

" Novel Exhibition — Another California In- 
vention. — Quite a number of persons on Steuart Street 
wharf, yesterday afternoon, were surprised at seeing a 
Whitehall boat shoot from under the pier propelled by 
muscle brought to bear on a pair of novel paddle- 
wheels. It appears that a Mr. Norton, of Sonoma 
County, has for some years past been endeavoring to 
improve upon the present paddle-wheels. He believes 
that his invention is calculated to effect the needed im- 
provements in these respects, viz., that whilst the speed 
of the ordinary paddle-wheel is limited, this is limitless, 
and that to any extent the power can be applied, in like 
proportion will additional speed be obtained. Further- 
more, he contends that his wheel avoids not only the lift, 
but drag of back water. The wheel is composed of a series 
of paddles forming a bucket, the paddles being hung 
upon pivots, and opened and closed by a shackle- 
bar, which has a friction roller on each end, fastened to 
the bucket by knees. 

"The wheel, whilst undergoing the rotary motion 
brings the friction roller in contact with cams, which 
open and close the bucket. The moment the latter has 
performed its labor, the paddles make the open revo- 
lution until they again touch the water. The inventor 
contends that in navigating the ocean in a heavy sea, 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 361 

the dead force which the ordinary steamship wheel has 
to encounter is completely avoided, as the vessel will 
sit on an even keel, and never submerge one wheel so as 
to retard its speed. 

"The experiment tried yesterday seemed successful 
so far as the working of the wheels and speed are con- 
cerned. The two men at the crank propelled the craft 
quite as fast as two oarsmen another boat, with which a 
trial of speed was had. 

" The inventor has filed his caveat, and formally ap- 
plied for a patent. A model is now being constructed 
in this city." 

CHAPTER XLIV. 

A VISIT TO THE EAST. 

SINCE the events recorded in the foregoing chapters, 
I made, in 1874, a lengthy tour to the East, visiting 
the scenes of my early life and adventures in Canada, 
and also many of the States of the Union. I kept a 
diary of my travels, and the prominent occurrences of 
the journey, from which I take the facts herein set forth. 
I started out of San Francisco on " All Fools' Day " on 
an eastern-bound train. Among the passengers was a 
Mrs. G. and her little son, aged about eight years. Her 
husband, who was an official of Alameda County, sought 
an introduction, and placed his wife and son under my 
care. We were soon settled in one of the commodious 
palace cars, and all within the car soon became 
acquainted and, in fact, constituted a little social com- 
munity. In reading, talking, playing cards, and look- 
ing from the windows at the various external objects 
24 



362 Life and Adventures of 

that caught the fancy, the time passed pleasantly as we 
rolled slowly along; for, here let me say, I was very 
much disappointed as to the speed in crossing the con- 
tinent by rail. I don't think they averaged twenty miles 
an hour. We had crossed the American Alps, had 
doubled Cape Horn, and on the second day were steam- 
ing up the Humboldt River, without a remarkable inci- 
dent on our trip. 

When we arrived at the county seat of Humboldt 
County, and when the cars stopped at the depot, the 
conductor walked through the cars and announced that 
we had twenty minutes to exercise our limbs. I asked 
Mrs. G. if she would like to walk out, and she replied 
in the affirmative. I looked at my watch, and we 
walked to the court house, less than a five minutes' 
walk, exchanged a few words with the clerk, and started 
back, when the whistle blew, the bell rang, and away 
went the cars. The woman was perfectly frantic, and 
screamed, "My child! my child!" I consoled her as 
well as possible, telling her that I would telegraph to the 
next station and have the boy and baggage left. In 
the meantime the cars had gone out of sight and hear- 
ing. I had restored the lady to quiet, and was meditat- 
ing a suit against the company for damage, when to my 
surprise the cars hove in sight, and some one on the 
back step was waving a handkerchief most furiously. 
We rushed on and were soon on board again. 

Then came the secret: The first day out, a small 
specimen of California's best production passed from 
my possession to that of the negro steward, with the 
understanding that he was to consult my best interests 
while it should be my good fortune to travel in his 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 363 

society; and when it was announced that I was left, he 
made a furious dash at the bell-rope, pulling it in two 
the first effort. He then rushed through the cars, 
reached the engine, and yelled to the engineer, " Yoit 
inns' go back! two ladies leff, and tivo stickin' babies on 
boards Such an appeal couldn't be resisted, and the 
train backed up. I shall never regret what I invested in 
that nigger. 

I will not attempt to describe a route that has already 
been described a hundred times, but will content myself 
with a truthful detail of what came under my observa- 
tion as a traveler, that has not been chronicled by more 
able pens. The journey was without accident or further 
mishap until we reached Aurora, Kane County, Illinois, 
where I left the train to visit -my old home at St. Charles, 
on Fox River. I returned to St. Charles after an ab- 
sence of twenty-two years, almost to a day. I entered 
the town an entire stranger, knowing no face that I met 
and none knowing me. I had an intimate friend, one 
Colonel Burchell, who, at the time of my leaving St. 
Charles, was a merchant, and hnd rendered me many 
favors. I left him an active business man in manhood's 
prime. I was informed that he now kept the St. Charles 
Hotel. Accordingly I put up at that house, and found 
my friend of other days a decrepit old man, whom I 
could not recognize as being my old friend of twenty-two 
years before. I engaged him in conversation; ate sup- 
per with him and a half dozen former friends, but none 
knew me. Presently the conversation turned on Califor- 
nia, and " Captain Norton " vvas the first one inquired for. 
I told Burchell that I knew him very well; that he lived 
in my town, and, after answering many inquiries regard- 



364 Life and Adventures of 

ing him, I remarked that I didn't suppose they could 
recognize Norton now, if they were to meet him. But 
they all declared that they would know him the minute 
they put their eyes on him. After amusing myself for 
some time in this way, I presented my card to Burchell, 
and, to the astonishment of the crowd, declared that I 
was the veritable Norton that they were all going to 
recognize. 

I next went to the office where I had read law and 
met my old preceptor, Judge Barry. He also had grown 
very old. He asked me to be seated. I told him that 
I had a little matter of business that I wished to call 
his personal att ntion to, and handed him my card. 
The old man looked at the card, and then at me. In a 
moment he dropped the card, sprang forward, seized 
me by both hands, and exclaimed, " Great God, Norton, 
is this you!" He then commenced rubbing my head 
and running around me like a child. The news soon 
spread that I had returned, and then dozens of acquaint- 
ances of former years came rushing in, calling me by 
name, whose faces were as strange to me as though I 
had never seen them before. There was but one among 
all of them that I could have recognized; that was my 
old friend, W. G. Conkling, who served as lieutenant 
with me through the Mexican War (now Major Conk- 
ling;. We were as brothers through that long and try- 
ing campaign, and our relations were so intimate that 
time and change could not deface that recollection. I 
spent three days, among the happiest of my life, with 
old friends at St. Charles, making at least twenty prom- 
ises to dine, visit, or lodge with my old friends. I abso- 
lutely had to run away to prosecute my journey. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 365 

Leaving St. Charles, Illinois, I descended Fox River, 
one of the most lovely streams in the world, to its con- 
fluence with the Illinois, passing the cities of Aurora 
and Oswego and many other lovely towns on its banks. 
Then, going through Ottawa and crossing the Illinois 
and Vermilion Rivers, I visited the great coal-fields of 
the West at Streater, La Salle County, Illinois. This 
place is but about four years old, and contains from six 
thousand to seven thousand inhabitants. It very much 
reminds the California traveler of a mining town in 
1852. It is principally a wooden town, sprung up as by 
magic, and bright new shanties meet the eye in all direc- 
tions. They seem to have a well organized city gov- 
ernment and all is one wild rush and bustle. There are 
now five railroads centering in the town, with coal-cars 
leaving in all directions, while the various hoisting 
works, propelled by steam, are tugging and puffing on 
all sides. There are three distinct strata of coal, lying 
from eighty to four hundred feet below the surface. 

From this region I retraced my steps to Aurora, and 
went thence to Chicago. I will give but little space to 
a description of this great mart of the West, as, espe- 
cially since its recent disaster, it has so often been de- 
scribed that all who read know what Chicago was before 
and at the tiine of the great fire. All that it is necessary 
to say here is that it has arisen from its ashes more beau- 
tiful than before, and all the evidences that are left of its 
calamity are here and there a scar that looks as though 
there had been a local fire. Chicago is the shining light 
of the West. It owes its present existence to the East, 
to whom it is mortgaged. There are two places that the 

traveler should be sure to visit — the tunnel under the 

t 

Chicago River and the Lake Water Works. 



366 Life and Adventures of 

I cannot leave the great West without speaking gen- 
erally of the improvements of the great Mississippi 
Basia I visited Chicago in the fall of 1837 for the fii-st 
time, when but a boy. It was but a small village then- 
The frame of the old United States House had just been 
raised atsthe west end of Randolph Bridge. Colonel 
Bobion liv^ed near the old fort on the lake shore, in his 
log-cabin lined inside with birch bark, and Lake Street 
was a first-class mud-hole Now (1874) the city boasts 
about a quarter million inhabitants. At the time to 
which I refer, the whole country lying between the great 
lakes and the base of the Rocky Mountains was com- 
paratively an unbroken wild, with only here and there 
the rudely-built shelter of the early pioneer or hunter, 
and the onlv guides from the settlements to their new 
homes were the trails left by General Scott's troops and 
the brands of their camp-fires while marching to chas- 
tise the hostile tribes of the West. But what a change ! 
The human mind can hardly comprehend it. In the 
short space of thirty-seven years this might)' empire 
of the West has sprung into existence. And what a 
change even from twenty years ago, where the little 
'' balloon frame " or log-cabin, with a hovel for stock, 
covered with straw or prairie grass, where the fierce 
winds of our Western winters would penetrate every 
pore as they howled over the vast prairies, without a tree 
or bush to check them ! Now, where stood the lowly 
cabin, you may see a noble building two or three stories 
in height with a beautiful observatory covering its top; 
and where stood the straw-thatched hovel, you may see 
clustered splendid granaries and stock barns, all well 
sheltered and protected with a fine, thrifty grove of 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 367 

timber. Add to that a thick hedge of Osage orange 
or thorn surrounding the whole premises, and you have 
the present appearance of the home of the thrifty West- 
ern farmer. One of the most memorable changes that 
meets the eye of the traveler who has not visited the 
West for many years, is the great increase of timber. 
The farmers, who in many parts of the West have im- 
poverished their farms by constant cropping, have been 
compelled to change their tactics, and are now grazing 
them with dairy cows. The consequence is that at a 
distance of every eight or ten miles, there is a steam 
cheese and butter factory. By the change referred to, 
the farmer is restoring the land to its former richness, 
and I was informed that it pays better than grain rais- 
ing. While the war has had the effect in the East of 
making the rich richer, and the poor poorer, the West 
has felt a general impetus that has reached all classes. 

I continued my journey eastward by the Michigan 
Central road, April ii. It was exceedingly cold in 
Chicago when I left. It seemed as though the north 
wind from Lake Michigan would cut a Californian in 
two, and, in fact, I had not been out of sight o( snow 
from the time I reached the summit of the Sierra. I 
reached Detroit about two o'clock Sunday morning, 
April 12. Detroit is a splendid city. It is beauti- 
fully located on the St. Clair River, and is among the 
oldest towns of America, settled by the French. This 
is the town that was surrendered to the British by Gen- 
eral Hull, in the war of 1812, at the time of "Hull's 
Surrender." There is a very fine depot there, and the 
city contains many beautiful public buildings, hand- 
somely flagged sidewalks, and many ornamental trees. 



368 Life and Adventures of 

The city contains about one hundred thousand inhabit- 
ants, but the old French stock is pretty well worked 
out. 

On the morning of the 13th I crossed the St. Clair 
River into Upper Canada, taking the Grand Trunk road, 
and arrived in London about four o'clock in the after- 
noon. Again in London ! After an absence of thirty- 
seven years I was again visiting the spot where I had 
been a prisoner for nine months, indicted for high trea- 
son, and banished from her Britannic majesty's domin- 
ions during my natural life. I left, a boy in my seven- 
teenth year; I returned, a gray-headed man ! At my 
banishment I had left many warm friends in London. 
" Where are they now ? " was the first question that 
came to my mind on my return, for among those friends 
were some who had watched over the sick couch of the 
young rebel and to whose kind care perhaps I owed my 
life. I asked an old settler of London, " Where is 
O'Brien, the merchant?" He replied, "He is dead!'' 
"And Mrs. O'Brien?" "Also dead!" "Where is 
Sam Parks, the former keeper of the London prison ? " 
"Dead!" "And his wife?" "She is also dead'" 
None who had lifted a hand or voice in my defense were 
left. It was one universal reply, " Dead, all dead ! " 

But there was one thing to console me: times had so 
changed in the Dominion that the old Tory party of 
1836-37 was at a discount, and the reform party was 
in power, the British Government having granted a gen- 
eral amnesty, and conceded every reform asked by that 
party. I next visited the old prison where I had lain so 
long, but there the hand of time had made no change. 
I found everything in the rooms where I had been in- 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 369 

carcerated just as it was the day I left them. There was 
the old bullet-hole through the floor that we had reamed 
out to enable us to send our dispatches to the upper 
rooms, which were also filled with prisoners. I showed 
the officials who visited the rooms with me that the 
window sills were all cut out below, around the heads of 
the spikes; that the gratings of our windows were loos- 
ened (with the apertures closed with chewed bread to 
hide our work) in such a manner that the bars could be 
removed in fifteen minutes; that nothing but the senti- 
nels around the walls had prevented our escape, and many 
other things that excited the mirth of the officials of the 
present time. When it was generally known who I was, 
the prominent citizens seemed to take an interest in 
me, and made my visit of a week in London a very 
pleasant one. London is a flourishing city, supported 
by oil refineries, manufacturing the crude oils obtained 
in the western district, together with a large agricultural 
country around the place. 



CHAPTER XLV. 

VISIT TO THE EAST — OLD-TIME HAUNTS. 

BEFORE my final departure from London (Canada), 
I went up to Westminster, where I had left four 
uncles and about thirty cousins. In fact, Westminster 
Street was settled by Nortons and their descendants; 
but among all the kin that I had left, only one remained 
to tell the fate and whereabouts of the rest. This was 
Frank D. Norton. He was wealthy and a prince among 
good fellows, and spared no pains to make me enjoy 



370 Life and Adventures of 

my visit with him. We rode around the country and 
visited old haunts of my youth, but I could see very lit- 
tle to remind me of that long ago; for then the clear- 
ings were small and the forests immense; the fields were 
stumpy and the hay and grain crops had to be cut with 
the old-fashioned sickle, scythe, and cradle. Now, 
scarcely a stump is to be seen, and those vast primeval 
forests have almost wholly disappeared before the stroke 
of the axman. Those who never experienced it cannot 
for a moment appreciate or imagine the change. Where 
I had ofttimes looked from a small eminence for the 
cows, where the range of vision was less than half a mile, 
I could now stand and look away north to the shores of 
Lake Huron, forty or fifty miles distant, the forests that 
once obscured the view having been almost entirely 
swept away. The only timber now standing, where 
every acre of land was once covered by a heavy forest 
growth, is the sugar maple, rail timber, and occasionally a 
small wood lot for fuel, which is now valuable — in fact, 
more valuable than agricultural land. 

This general clearing up of the country has given it 
an entirely new face. Those who have seen the emi- 
grant who crossed the plains from '49 to '60, before go- 
ing to the barber shop and after his return from it, may, 
from that metamorphosis, form some faint idea of the 
change in the face of a timber country by being shorn 
of its forests. The climate of Upper Canada has also 
greatly changed since cutting off the timber. There 
used to be but little wind before the country was cleared 
up, and now it is swept by heavy and frequent winds 
from the northern lakes. The land in Canada West, 
like that of the Western States, is much worn, and the 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 371 

farmers are resuscitating the soil by going into the dairy- 
business. The Canadas are now shipping to England 
thousands of tons of cheese yearly. The soil is natu- 
rally good in Canada West, taking it as a whole, and 
were it not for the long, cold winters, it would be a 
desirable country to live in, for at the present time they 
have a very liberal system of Government — no inflation, 
everything reasonable, and their paper commands coin 
everywhere. Among other good things at my cousin's, 
I found them at the height of sugar-making, which per- 
mitted me to enjoy some of the sweets of other days. 
The sugar was as sweet as ever, but the girls — well, an 
old man of family cannot, and ought not, expect to find 
them as sweet as when he was a young beau. 

Taking leave of my "coz.," I took a side train, con- 
necting with the Grand Trunk at St. Mary's, and after 
a few hours' ride brought up at Toronto. We made no 
stay at this place, farther than the usual halt for meals, 
but even this enabled me to discover that Toronto had 
grown much since I last saw it. Indeed, it is now a 
very pretty city, the site sloping to the south with a 
gentle descent to the lake shore. From Toronto our 
trip to Prescott was performed in the night. Passing 
Kingston and other noted points, we arrived at Prescott 
at the break of day, at which place we changed cars for 
Ottawa, the seat of the Dominion Government. Ottawa 
is situated on the Grand Ottawa River, some ninety 
miles above the confluence of that river with the St. 
Lawrence. The city is divided into the upper and lower 
towns by the Rideau Canal, which gives an internal com- 
munication between Kingston and Lake Ontario and 
the Ottawa River. This town has been selected by the 



372 Life and Adventures of 

Home (British) Government for the permanent seat of 
the Canadian Legislature. " The scenery is not surpassed 
by any in America, unless by that of California. Pres- 
cott and Ottawa are also connected by the Ottawa and 
Prescott Railroad, which taps the Grand Trunk at Pres- 
cott. There is also a daily line of steamers up and 
down the river during the summer months. 

The Russell House is a fine hotel, situated in the 
center of the town in juxtaposition with the Sappers' 
Bridge, the Rideau Canal, Parliament House, etc. A 
few minutes take the traveler to the suspension bridge, 
from which a fine view of the city can be obtained, as 
well as of the celebrated Chaudier Falls, which are 
almost a second Niagara. The Government timber 
slide. Table Rock, suspension bridge, etc., are well worthy 
of note by the tourist. 

Returning by way of Prescott, I crossed the St. Law- 
rence River to Ogdensburg, New York. This is a city 
of considerable trade. It is an old town founded by 
Colonel Ogden, an Englishman of great wealth. There 
is an amusing anecdote connected with the early settle- 
ment of the place, calculated in some degree to illustrate 
the different ideas of the English and Americans as to 
the relations of master and servant. After Ogden had 
founded his town and was yet largely engaged in build- 
ing, business called him back to England and he left an 
Englishman in charge of his works, who held the com- 
mon English ideas of the servile condition of the com- 
mon laborer. The hands were principally brought from 
England, but through sickness or. some other cause, it 
became necessary to hire a few native Americans. 
Among them was a little American to mix mortar. He 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 373 

didn't exactly satisfy the old John Bull boss, who 
expressed his disapprobation in rather forcible terms, to 
which little Yank sharply replied, when the boss, with 
great indignation exclaimed, *' Give me none of your 
impudence, sir, or I will cane you ! " " You attempt to 
cane me," said the man, " and I will stamp you into 
this mortar bed." The Englishman struck him with 
his cane, and the man kept his word. The old boss 
crawled out of the mortar, made his way to an attorney 
and wanted to know his remedy. " Who struck first ? " 
inquired the lawyer. "Is that the question you ask 
me? Why, sir, he gave me some insolence and I caned 
him." " That being the case," said the attorney, "you 
committed the first assault, and if he will drop it you had 
better let it rest. If not, you had better give him some- 
thing to settle it." Johnny Bull was indignantly leaving 
the office when he was informed that he owed a fee of 
five dollars. He paid the charge, and when he went 
back to where the mortarman was, the latter asked, 
" Have you a warrant for me?" Being answered in the 
negative, " Then," said the man, " I will have one for 
you." "Ah, never mind, here is a sovereign to treat 
your friends with." 

In time Ogden returned and was riding out with the 
old boss in his coach, when they met a Yankee teamster 
who gave one-half of the road. " How different," said 
Colonel Ogden, " in England a teamster would give the 
whole road and takeoff his hat to a gentleman." "Ah," 
replied the boss, " but in this country he will pull off his 
coat instead of his hat." The mortarman had taught 
him something. 

We left Ogdensburg at one o'clock in the afternoon 



374 Life and Adventures of 

and arrived at Malone the same evening, passing Pots- 
dam and other small places on the way. I had now 
arrived at the base of my communications, and heard 
from home for the first time since leaving London. On 
leaving home I had directed all my correspondence to be 
sent to^Wm. P. Cantwell, Esq., of Malone, New York. 
He and I were little children together at Norton Creek, 
Lower Canada. Thomas Cantwell, his father, was 
among the earliest settlers at " The Creek." He was 
our merchant and, in fact, the main man of the place. 
He was noted for his integrity, and commanded the 
respect of all who knew him, and prospered as such men 
should. Where even the advantages of a common 
school education were denied to many, Mr. Cantwell's 
children were sent abroad to school and received liberal 
education. My friend, Wm. P., chose the profession of 
law and is now a successful lawyer, standing at the 
head of his profession in Malone, and, like his father, 
noted for his integrity as well as his ability. He is 
blessed with an amiable wife and family, with all the 
home comforts and endearing associations that make 
home happy. Though my visit with them was a very 
short one, it was of that pleasing character that will 
ever keep its remembrance fresh in my mind. Mr. 
Cantwell's family could tell me more about my old 
home than all others combined, but I hastened forward 
that I might see for myself I was then about forty 
miles from my old home at Norton Creek, in Lower 
Canada. I took the cars for the Summit, and from 
that place I hired a buggy to take me across the line 
into Canada, to the little town of Franklin, where I 
remained a couple of days to visit friends and get 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 375- 



shelter from a snow-storm that was then raging. This 
was about the twentieth of April, and while others 
thought the weather reasonably mild, I was compelled 
to hunt the hot side of the stove to keep warm. 

At Franklin I chartered a buggy to take me to Nor- 
ton Creek. And now I was to visit a place, after an 
absence of forty years, the most cherished to me of all 
spots on earth. It was there I had spent my childhood's 
hours, and there centered all that was pleasant to reflect 
upon; it was my thoughts by day and dreams by night. 
Every play-ground was vivid in my memory and the 
enthusiasm which I felt upon the subject I cannot better 
express than in the words of Norton the poet: — 

Canada's wilds my early home, 
I think of thee where'er I roam! 
The lonely crag to me endeared, 
Its mossy brow my childhood cheered; 
The rising hill, the creek, the dell. 
The ancient tree, the pond, the well — 
All these endeared that land to me. 
Home of my youth and infancy! 

But what a disappointment was in wait for me ! 
When I came into the range of my childhood's acquaint- 
ance the first place I recognized was the Proper farm, 
where I requested my driver to wait until I made a 
reconnoissance of the premises. My rap at the door 
was answered by a French woman who couldn't speak a 
word of English, but she called her son, who spoke 
English. I asked him who lived there. He informed 
me that it was the widow St. John. I then asked him 
where the folks had gone who lived there before them- 
He didn't know; he was born on the place, raised there 
to manhood, and never heard of any other person hav- 
ing owned it but his father. 



376 Life and Adventures of 

I then determined to go to Mr. Seivers', two miles 
further on, and make that my head-quarters while I 
remained in the vicinity, remembering that forty years 
ago they kept a very respectable hotel and but one 
mile distant from my father's farm — my early home. 
We trudged along through a slushy mixture of snow and 
mud until we reached the Seivers place, but here I was 
again disappointed. The old sign was gone and the 
house much smaller than when I left that country. I 
entered the house and inquired for Mr. Seivers. Quite 
an old lady answered me that her son would be in in a 
minute. I asked, '' Is this Mrs. Seivers ? " She answered 
in the affirmative. I then asked her if they kept a hotel, 
and she replied that they did not. I told her that I was a 
stranger wishing to spend a few days in that neighbor- 
hood, and would like to stay with them. She said they 
were not prepared to keep travelers. I insisted upon 
staying, and told her that any accommodations would 
answer me. In the meantime her son came in, and I 
saw that I was likely to fail in my efforts, when I made 
the fact known that I was a son of Lewis Norton. I 
needed no further passport, and a nice, clean room was 
assigned me. On inquiry, I found that the former 
house had been burned down and replaced by the pres- 
ent smaller one; that old man Seivers and wife had both 
been dead for many years, and that the old lady before 
me was the wife of John Seivers, who was a young 
married man when I left Lower Canada; that he also 
was dead, after having raised a large family of children, 
who were all married off and now had families of half- 
grown Canadians in their turn. Our school-house was 
near by and on the Seivers farm. I noticed that the 



■ Colonel L. A. Norton. 377 

building looked smaller than when I went to school 
there, and they informed me that it also had been 
burned, and replaced by a smaller one. I may as well 
say here, that the whole country for many miles has 
been filled up by French people, the former inhabitants 
having died or removed to some other parts; and that 
everything is on the retrograde, it being a cold, rocky, 
desolate clime. 

After becoming domiciled in my temporary home, I 
set out on foo.t to visit the old homestead. I well knew 
every foot of the ground, and a fifteen minutes' walk 
brought me to the corner of our old field; but to my 
amazement I found the field a forest! It was covered 
with a thick growth of cedars, six and eight inches in 
diameter and from forty to fifty feet in height. I took 
the second look at the old rock monument at the corner, 
and satisfied myself that I was not mistaken as to local- 
ity. The next search was for my father's cooper shop, 
which used to stand close by. All traces of it were 
gone, except a few foundation stones that marked the 
spot where it had stood. I next pushed my way 
through the cedar forest for the old house; but alas! the 
house had not only disappeared, but all evidences that a 
human habitation had ever been there. A stone quarry 
had been opened precisely where the house had stood. 
When a child I had set out an orchard of apples, which, 
when we left, had grown to be quite respectable little 
trees. I had since always thought I would like to revisit 
the old orchard to see how it flourished, and my longings 
were now to be gratified. But when I reached the lot, 
not an apple tree was there, nor the slightest evidence 
that there ever had been one planted on the ground. I 
25 



378 Life and Adventures of 

then went in search of the old spring, to get a drink 
from the old fountain. But alas! no spring was to be 
found. I knew its location, within a rod or two, but the 
winter was breaking, and every little hole and hollow 
being filled with water, it was impossible to distinguish 
the spring from the pools of rain-water. 

While I was meditating upon the general change, 
mortified, sick, and dispirited to see all of my high hopes 
and bright dreams of a pleasant visit to my old home 
dashed to the earth, a stern-visaged, hard-faced old 
woman made her appearance upon the scene, looking for 
her sheep. She seemed to look upon me with surprise 
and distrust. I stepped up to her and said, '' My good 
woman, can you tell me who owns these premises?" 
" 'Tis meself, shure, but me husband is over the hill 
at the house beyont. I'll show you." I followed the 
crone and found that the portion of the farm which 
was a forest when I left was now cleared up, cultivated 
and contained the residence of the family. At dark 
I returned to my friend Seivers', with years of romance 
and bright dreams dashed to the earth by an experience 
of a couple of hours. 

I wandered in the neighborhood of Norton Creek a 
week before it was generally known who I was, and I 
learned that all kinds of surmises and supicions had 
been entertained as to who and what I was. I found 
once in a while an old citizen who remembered our 
family, but everything, on the face of nature was so 
radically changed that I could not have recognized the 
place had I been set down there without explanations. 
The stream had been dammed below, entirely changing 
its features; the big marsh — my old fishing ground 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 379 

further up the stream — had been drained and was at this 
time cultivated farms. And even the white sandstone 
rocks had seemed to allow their faces to grow dark and 
dirty. The whortleberry bushes had disappeared from 
their seams, and the wintergreen was no longer to be 
found. At the end of the week — the last of April — 
we had a heavy snow-storm. I took a sleigh-ride of sev- 
eral miles, with bells, robes, cold toes and fingers; with 
ears tied up to keep them warm — in short, enjoyed all 
the pleasures of a sleigh-ride in a Northern winter. 

Coming to the conclusion that I had had enough of 
my old Canada home, I began to think about emigrat- 
ing again. I was told that I could take the stage and 
go to St. Rama, whence I could go by rail to Montreal. 
The stage passed Mr. Seivers' at about five o'clock in 
the morning. I was accordingly up, dressed and ready 
for the trip. The, "stage" came! I found that it con- 
sisted of a one-horse buggy, with a lantern lashed on 
the dash-board and a little French pony in the fills. As 
it happened, it wasn't loaded; that is to say, the only 
seat for a passenger was vacant, but the driver insisted 
that he couldn't take me, owing to the condition of the 
roads. I paid but little attention to his remonstrances, 
piled in my valise and lunch-basket and directed him to 
drive on. In course of time I reached St. Rama without 
accident, took the cars and safely arrived at Montreal to 
await the final breaking up of winter. 



380 Life and Adventures of 

CHAPTER XLVI. 

VISIT TO THE EAST — MONTREAL. 

WELL, here I am in Montreal, one of the prettiest 
cities in North America; and how Httle we 
Americans know of it! It is the largest and most popu- 
lous city, in fact the commercial metropolis, of British 
North America. Situated upon an island at the base of 
Mt. Royal, it occupies a very commanding position. 
The island is from twenty-five to thirty miles long, by 
ten or twelve broad. Montreal possesses all the advan- 
tages both of an inland and a commercial city. It is 
accessible to steamships and other vessels of three 
thousand tons burden, and, commanding the trade of 
the canals and lakes, its position with reference to Que- 
bec, Ontario, the Great West, New York, Boston, Port- 
land, Albany, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Prince 
Edward Island, and many minor points, makes it, by 
water and railroad communication, a great center and 
commercial emporium. They have gone largely into 
manufacturing in Montreal. The city was founded in 
1642 and for many years bore the name of Ville Marie, 
having been originally settled by the French, and for 
a long time it was the head-quarters of the French 
forces in Canada, but was surrendered to the English 
in 1763. 

I have not started out to write up the history of 
Montreal, but cannot in justice dismiss the subject until 
I have partially described two of the most magnificent 
works of art upon the American continent, viz., Notre 
Dame, and Victoria Bridge. Notre Dame, the parish 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 381 

church, was commenced in 1823, and was fifteen years 
in course of construction. The ground structure is 300 
by 1 50 feet and is 260 feet from basement to the top of 
the towers, which is reached by 356 steps. The struct- 
ure is stone and its walls are of massive proportions. It 
contains a bell, the third in size that was ever cast, 
weighing 24,780 pounds and costing $25,000. The 
church contains 1,500 pews. The building was con- 
structed by one O'Donald, as architect and builder, at a 
cost of $1,500,000. O'Donald was a Protestant, but in 
after life embraced the Catholic faith. His remains now 
lie under his structure in the church vault. From the 
top of the towers of this church you have a magnificent 
view of all the lower part of the city and the shores of 
the St. Lawrence for miles. 

The Victoria Bridge spans the St. Lawrence at 
Montreal. The cost of this bridge was $6,250,000. It 
contains 25,000 tons of stone and 7,500 tons of iron. 
The iron superstructure is supported on twenty-four 
piers and two abutments. The center span is 330 feet, and 
there are twelve spans each side of the center, 242 feet 
each; extreme length, including the abutments, 7,000 
feet; height of the bridge above low water, sixty feet 
in the center, descending towards each end at the rate 
of one inch in 130 feet. The contents of the masonry 
are 3,000,000 cubic feet; weight of iron in the tubes, 
8,000 tons. The tubes through which the railroad trains 
pass, are at the middle span twenty-two feet high and 
sixteen feet wide, and at the extreme ends nineteen feet 
high and sixteen feet wide. The total length from the 
river banks is 10,284 feet, or a little less than two miles. 

I shall not attempt to describe the public buildings, 



382 Life and Adventures of 

many of which are perfect models of architectural 
beauty, but will content myself by saying that there is 
in Montreal a greater display of Italian marble, Scotch 
granite, and Ohio sandstone than in any city I visited on 
my trip. Montreal is a city of boundless wealth and 
squalid misery; of rich clergy and poor laity; of silver- 
mounted hacks and ragged beggars. No place in the 
city is exempt from beggars. 

Leaving Montreal by cars, we crossed Victoria Bridge 
and took the railroad for St. John's, that being the point 
where I expected to connect with the Vermont Central 
road, on which my fare was paid to Boston, Massachu- 
setts. I presented my ticket and the conductor refused 
to recognize it, owing to the fact that it was but a branch 
road of the Vermont Central and leased to outside 
parties. I refused to pay and the conductor said he 
would have to put me off I told him that was all right, 
but that he must forcibly expel me from the cars; that 
I shouldn't resist, but wished to reserve my legal rights. 
He treated me very gentlemanly, but said that under 
the rules he would have to put me off at the next station. 
In the meantime he conversed with the Hon. M. Mower, 
of the Canadian Parliament, in regard to the matter. 
Mr. Mower admitted that the conductor's instructions 
would require him to put me off, but he thought the 
company would finally be compelled to transport me 
over their road, and perhaps be mulcted in damages 
for their refusal to take me through, and for expelling 
me from the cars. Mr. Mower informed me that he was 
personally acquainted with the conductor and knew him 
to be an honorable man, etc. He also said that the 
managing agent of the road was at the next regular 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 383 

station, some twenty miles distant; that he also was 
a fair-minded man, and that if I would pay my fare 
under protest he would insure me a favorable considera- 
tion of my case before the managing agent of the road; 
so through his influence, I was prevailed upon to pay my 
fare, under protest, to the main line of the road. On 
our arrival I exhibited my through ticket to Boston and 
a fair statement of the case was made, when the agent 
directed the conductor to refund my money, as my 
ticket called for my transportation over any part of the 
road to the point of destination. 



CHAPTER XLVII. 

VISIT TO THE EAST — BOSTON — THE HUDSON. 

1HAD now crossed the Vermont line. We passed 
along the foot of Lake Champlain, up Onion and 
White Rivers, crossed the Green Mountains to the east 
of the Camel's Back, crossed New Hampshire, passing 
through Concord, Lowell, and many other places of note, 
and reached Boston about eleven o'clock at night. As to 
the country embraced in the trip from Montreal to Bos- 
ton, it appeared that the inhabitants had first tried 
agriculture, then grazing and stock-raising, and finally, 
in many places, they were abandoning the soil to a second 
growth of timber, and gathering themselves up into 
manufacturing villages and cities, resorting to the 
mechanical arts and manufacturing almost exclusively 
for a living. They seemed to have come to the conclu- 
sion that they could not compete with the more favored 
portions of the United States in agricultural pursuits. 



384 Life and Adventures of 

Hence we must not judge too harshly of the land of 
basswood hams and wooden nutmegs. 

My arrival at so late an hour in the night was the 
most unfortunate of all the incidents attending my 
advent in Boston. The next morning I sallied forth to 
reconnoiter the city. Coming in so late I had not 
observed any landmarks, but with a bold spirit of 
adventure I pushed along through the labyrinth of build- 
ings, without a blazed tree, chart, or compass, with the 
intention of finding the docks, that I might get a view 
of Massachusetts Bay and Boston Harbor, where there 
was a great tea party about a century since. -A smart 
walk of half an hour brought me — not to the docks, 
but to the place from where I started. 

Having procured fresh directions, I again started out 
on my search. This time, after an hour's ramble, I 
found myself at West End, instead of at the docks. 
Here I made more inquiries, and among them I asked 
whether there was any street or road that led out of 
Boston except the railroad by which I entered the city. 
I was told to go to Bowdoin Square, where I could gain 
the information. I took the direction pointed out for 
Bowdoin Square and followed the devious streets for 
another half hour, but finding nothing that looked to 
me like a square, and meeting a street-car, I jumped 
aboard and asked the conductor where that car was 
going. He informed me that it was going to Bowdoin 
Square. This I thought was a point gained; but after 
several twists and turns I came to the conclusion that I 
was again duped, and that the car was returning- by 
another route to the point where I had got on. I was 
about leaving it for the purpose of throwing myself under 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 385 

the protection of the police, when a gentleman on board 
to whom I had disclosed my troubles (who, by the by, 
was a Californian) told me to keep my seat, as the car 
was really going to Bowdoin Square, and that we were 
on one of the straightest streets in Boston. 

In a short time we arrived at what I should call five 
points, where all alighted from the car. I asked my 
friend if this was what they called Bowdoin Square, and 
he said it was. I was somewhat surprised, as I had 
brought up at the same place three or four times in the 
course of my ramble, but never would have taken it to 
be a sgitare. In this strait I came to the conclusion 
that money was no object, and asked my new California 
acquaintance if he couldn't be induced for a compensa- 
tion to act as my guide to aid me in getting out of the 
city. In hopes of reaching his sympathy I told him 
that I was a married man, had left a wife and several 
small children in California, that I was their sole depend- 
ence for a living, and if he left me I was satisfied that 
I never again would clasp them to my bosom, but would 
perish on the cow-paths of Boston in vain endeavors 
to find my way once,more to the borders of civilization. 
He being a true Californian, his sympathies were aroused 
and he kindly offered me such assistance as he could 
give; but he doubted his ability to act as a guide, for 
want of experience, as he had been but two years in 
Boston acting as delivery agent of an express company. 
However, between my guide's experience and the street 
railroads, I got along pretty well. We found Boston 
Harbor, and in order to get a good view, ascended Bunker 
Hill Monument, from which the harbor, bay, navy yard, 
and much of the city are seen to a good advantage. 



386 Life and Adventures of 

I don't propose to describe the monument, as every 
school-child not only knows all about Bunker Hill Mon- 
ument (which is not on Bunker Hill at all, by the way), 
but everything else in and about Boston, and much that 
never was there, for the innumerable presses of Boston, 
continually harping upon its beauties, have made it 
rather an ideal than a real city. They have told the 
world not what it was in fact, but what their imaginations 
picture it. In claiming that the picture of Boston is 
generally overdrawn, do not understand me to say that 
Boston is not a great city, and that there are not many 
things in it worthy of admiration. But to return to 
Bunker Hill Monument. It costs the visitor twenty 
cents for admittance, and ten cents for a little "guide" 
of two leaves about one and one-half by two inches, not 
costing one-fourth of a cent each, making a charge of 
thirty cents to enable an Englishman to see the place 
where his ancestors were slain, or the American to see 
the place where the immortal Warren and his com- 
patriots fell. This fee must produce a revenue of more 
than two hundred dollars per day. By what authority 
is this toll demanded ? and to what fund do the proceeds 
belong? If I mistake not, the ground was a gift to the 
public, for the purpose to which it has been appropriated, 
by tke Masonic fraternity, and the building fund, or the 
larger portion thereof, was raised by public subscrip- 
tion, the residue having been obtained through the in- 
fluence of the ladies by subscription and other ways. 
If I am mistaken in the above statement, I beg pardon; 
if not, I reiterate the question. Who has a right to de- 
mand a fee from the visitor, further than enough to pro- 
vide a fund for keeping the monument and grounds in 
proper repair? 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 387 

From what I had read of Boston I had been led to 
beHeve that I should find a city of granite, marble, and 
brick, but, on the contrary, I found more common 
wooden structures than in any city of its population 
through which I passed on my journey. Boston Com- 
mon is a very pretty place, though much smaller than I 
had expected to find it. It was pretty in its natural 
state and has been much beautified by art. Connected 
as it is with the National Gardens, it makes a very fine 
pleasure-ground; but were I the manager of the premises, 
I should either remove the tombs which it contains or 
make a cemetery of the whole. 

But there is one thing for which I give the Bostonians 
credit: instead of paying men to cut down, dig up, and 
destroy the old forest trees on the public grounds (as our 
wise men of Healdsburg did), they have carefully pro- 
tected, cultivated, hooped, and canvased the old mon- 
archs of the forest, preserving them as landmarks of 
early days. Faneuil Hall still stands, well preserved. 
As unpretending as its appearance may seem, it was the 
nest where was hatched the bird that wrested a people's 
rights from the grip of the British Lion. The State 
House stands fronting the Common, and is a fine struct- 
ure. The legislature was in session, and the Rotunda 
was closed to visitors, but by the kindness of the ser- 
geant-at-arms I was permitted to visit it. He also fur- 
nished me a guide. From the top of this building I 
had a fine view of the city and its surroundings, and my 
guide pointed out many objects of interest. 

From Boston I went west by the way of Springfield 
to Albany, New York. Along that route I found, as a 
general thing, that agriculture, as in New Hampshire 



388 Life and Adventures of 

and parts of Vermont, was being neglected, while me- 
chanical arts and manufactures were carried on with 
great spirit and seeming success. I took this route for a 
threefold purpose, viz., to see the famous Hoosac Tun- 
nel, visit my old friends, Mr. and Mrs. H. W. Dickenson, 
and to descend the Hudson by a day boat to enjoy the 
beauties of its far-famed scenery. The two former ob- 
jects were abandoned, owing to the incompleted state of 
the tunnel. I arrived at Albany about one o'clock in 
the morning, paid a hackman a dollar to take me half 
a square to a hotel, and awoke the next morning to find 
myself on the shore of the Hudson for the first time in 
my life. 

Albany, the capital of New York State, is a flourish- 
ing city at the head of navigation on the Hudson River. 
It is the oldest city in the United States. The first 
white man who ever visited the spot where Albany now 
stands was Hendricke Chrystance, who was sent up 
the river to explore by Henry Hudson, in 1610. Be- 
tween the Indians and the Dutch the place boasted a 
multitude of names, but in the year 1664, it was named 
Albany, in honor of James, Duke of York and Albany, 
who afterwards ascended the English throne as James 
II. The town v/as incorporated as a city in 1686, under 
Governor Dougan's administration. A portion of the 
town is situated upon the flat running to the water's 
edge and a portion on the bank, which rises about one 
hundred and fifty feet above the water. 

The present capitol is situated at the head of State 
Street, on a fine elevation overlooking the whole of the 
lower portion of the city. This building was erected 
about 1835, and is now (1874^ being eclipsed by a more 



Colonel L. A. Norton. . 889 

imposing structure, which is well advanced towards com- 
pletion — the " new capitol." At this place the Hudson 
is spanned by two fine bridges, with draws to allow water 
craft to pass, although Albany may really be considered 
at the head of navigation of the Hudson. I had some 
difficulty in finding a steamer running through to New 
York, as the summer boats were not yet making their 
regular trips; but perseverance at length crowned my 
efforts with success, and I .was soon floating down that 
lovely river. 

A Hogg, a Scott, a Burns, and others, in their brill- 
iant productions with pen and pencil, have made classic 
each tiny stream, every heath-clad hill and shady glen 
of Scotland, while farther south the early poets have sung 
the praises of the Po, the Rhine, Tiber, and Danube, 
until they have become as familiar to the present gen- 
eration as household words; but on visiting those scenes 
the traveler frequently finds that the genius of the poet 
has overdone his subject. But here the case is completely 
reversed; nature has seemed to mock the genius of man; 
for no human pencil can paint, nor the pen of mortal 
describe, the beauties of the Hudson. And where an 
Irving, a Willis, a Clark, and a Drake have failed, with 
their descriptive powers, to paint this lovely panorama 
of nature, I should not attempt it. Lovers of the beau- 
tiful seek the banks of the Hudson that their senses 
may drink in their beauties, but the tongue can never 
express them. We passed the magnificent residences of 
Church, the great artist, Longfellow, Washington Irving, 
and many others whose fame is world-wide. 

The banks of the Hudson are completely lined with 
cities, villages, and lovely country seats. Prominent 



390 Life and Adventures of 

among the former are Hudson, Catskill, Poughkeepsie, 
and Newport. It is hard to say which is to be most 
admired, the lovely green slopes and elevated banks 
above the highlands or the wild mountain scenery that 
the highlands present. We also passed West Point, the 
seat of our National Military School, which is on a 
beautiful site. It had been my determination on leaving 
home to visit my old friend, Josiah Hasbrouck, at New 
Paltz, but I had become so bewildered and lost in the 
many objects of interest that, before I was aware of the 
fact, I had passed the landing many miles, and was con- 
sequently denied a visit from which I had anticipated 
much pleasure. 

CHAPTER XLVIII. 

VISIT TO THE EAST — NEW YORK. 

ON the second day after leaving Albany we landed on 
Manhattan Island, which contains the great store- 
house of the world, and I was soon lost in the swaying 
and jostling masses on Broadway. I put up at the St. 
Nicholas, and was not long in finding out that in New 
York style costs as much as living. 

The next morning after breakfast I thought I would 
take a "promenade down Broadway" and call upon my 
banker. I had not proceeded on my walk more than 
two blocks when I was accosted by a gentleman who 
evinced great pleasure in meeting me. He rushed up 
furiously, seized me by the hand and exclaimed, " How 
are you, Mr. Jones," or some other name which I do not 
now remember. I remarked to him that he had proba- 
bly mistaken his man; that that was not my name, and 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 391 



further, that I didn't recognize him. " Is it possible that 
I am mistaken," he exclaimed; "is not your name so 
and so, and do you not live in Cincinnati? " I assured 
him that he hadn't guessed my name, and that I didn't 
live in Cincinnati. He begged my pardon, but remarked 
that I must be some near kin to his friend, as he never 
saw two men look so much alike. "My name is Jonas 
Collins," he added; " what may be your name? " I told 
him that was the " old thing," and that he'd better be off. 
He mingled with the crowd and was soon lost to my 

gaze. 

I pursued my way, chuckling to myself on his dis- 
comfiture, as I had from my infancy heard of New 
York sharps, and longed for the day when they would 
have an opportunity to try their skill on me, believing 
that there was one man at least that was invulnerable to 
their arts. I walked along in a very happy frame of 
mind, exulting over my victory, when a young man of 
prepossessing appearance and manner rushed from the 
throng of pedestrians and exclaimed, " Captain Norton, 
how do you do ! when did you leave San Francisco ? " 
I took his extended hand, but told him that he had the 
advantage of me; that I failed to remember him- 
"Why," said he, "don't you know David, of the West- 
ern Union Telegraph Company, of San Francisco?" 
I replied that I didn't remember him; that there were 
about a dozen of the boys and I should fail to recognize 
any one of them. He said he knew me very well, hav- 
ing met me often in San Francisco. 1 told him that I was 
pleased to meet him, or, in fact, anyone from California. 
He said that he had just got in the night before; was 
putting up at the Astor House, and asked me where I 



392 Life and Adventures of 



was going. I told him I was going down to the First 
National Bank to draw some money. He then informed 
me that he had come on to New York for the purpose 
of settling a little matter; that his grandmother had died 
and left him a small annuity; that he had bought" a 
ticketNn a lottery and was informed that he had drawn 
a prize; that he was hunting the place to draw his money; 
that it was somewhere near where we then were (he 
thought it was just around the corner), and if I would 
accompany him he would go to the bank with me afier 
he had got his money. I consented to do so, and we 
soon found the number. 

We were admitted by a negro usher into the presence 
of the lottery man^ who was seated behind a long table. 
He arose and David presented his ticket. The man 
remarked, " I suppose you think you have drawn a fort- 
une." The young man replied that he didn't know how 
much he had drawn. The lottery man said, " You have 
drawn $401," and handed the young man eight fifty-dollar 
greenbacks and a ticket, saying, as he did so, " This 
dollar ticket is all the percentage that the company has 
in this matter, and that ticket will be drawn at the large 
hall on Tuesday next." " I shall not be here on Tues- 
day," said David, " I am going right back to California." 
I said, "What do you care about the dollar ticket?" and 
he answered that he would like to know whether it drew 
anything or not. The lottery man suggested, " Perhaps 
your friend will be here." David turned to me and asked 
if I would be in the city on Tuesday. I replied that I 
should, and would see if his ticket drew anything, and 
report on my return to San Francisco. 

But the lottery man remarked that he had the scheme 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 393 

of the draW*in^ and that if David preferred, he could 
have a private drawing then and there; that they did so 
sometimes where men were going to leave the city. 
After an exhibition of his scheme, it was agreed that 
David should avail himself of the private drawing. 
Among other things it was explained that where the 
party throwing the dice threw any number other than a 
prize number, it was called a " star," and the party 
neither won nor lost, but would be compelled to repre- 
sent the ticket by putting up a dollar first, and then 
doubling the sum as often as he threw "stars," and that 
the money so put up was not forfeited, but at the end of 
seven throws the party putting up took all of his money 
so put up, together with hfs prize in case the ticket won. 
David threw a "star" and ''antied" his dollar; the sec- 
ond throw was the same and he put up two dollars; the 
third throw was another " star," and he put up four dol- 
lars. Each time that David put up the engineer of the 
game gave him a ticket. After the third throw David 
remarked that he seemed to be out of luck and asked 
me to throw for him. I did so and won eight dollars. 
He seemed pleased and requested me to throw again, he 
putting up eight dollars to " represent." I threw again, 
and won four hundred dollars. The money was paid, 
two hundred dollars on each ticket, to abide the issue of 
the throwing; but we were informed that we must come 
up twenty dollars apiece. I was inclined to draw out, 
but David offered to put up for me, assuring me that he 
" saw into it," and that under any contingency we were 
to take down the money that we " represented " with. I 
told him that I couldn't permit him to put up for me, so 
I put up the twenty dollars. I threw and it was a " star." 
26 



39+ Life and Adventures of 

I -then proposed to the lottery man to let him keep the 
two hundred which he claimed I had won and I would 
take down the twenty dollars and quit. To this he 
wouldn't agree, and said that in case I quit I forfeited 
the twenty dollars. I then thought I began to "see 
into it" myself, so I put up twenty dollars more and 
again threw a " star." It then required eighty dollars. 
I laid down a one hundred dollar greenback and threw 
— still another " star." The lottery man said that it now 
required five hundred dollars to " represent," and went 
on to explain. I told him it was unnecessary, as I un- 
derstood it; that I had the change. I took up the one 
hundred dollar bill and carefully laid it in my pocket- 
book, where I had laid the tWo twenties before it, and 
put my hand in my hip pocket for the "change." 
Drawing out a six-shooter, I cocked it and covered the 
two worthies, informing them that if they moved a 
muscle I would blow the top of their heads off. The 
lottery sharp cried out, '* Let me explain I " but I told 
him that it was my turn to explain; that they had 
simply mistaken their man ; that they had got me 
into their den to rob me, but hawks as they were 
their claws were too short to get away with a California 
chicken. Again admonishing them to keep their seats, 
for if they moved it would make me very nervous and 
I couldn't be responsible for what might happen, I kept 
them covered, backed to the door, bade them good- 
morning and left, having learned that I was not so much 
smarter than the rest of the human family as I had 
thought myself, and that I, too, could be taken in by a 
Broadway confidence man. 

It was sometime before I could really realize that I 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 395 

was treading the streets of a city of a million inhabitants, 
the pride of our Repubh'c and the admiration of the 
world. In 1656, New York (then New Amsterdam) 
contained but 1,000 inhabitants; in 1750 it contained 
10,000, and the entire colonies but 1,000,000; in 1800 
the city contained 60,489; in 1840, 312,706, and now (in 
1874), it is estimated that it contains over one million. 
The island upon which New York is situated has an 
area of but 21 J^ square miles, or 13,600 acres. As pre- 
viously stated, this city is little less than a mammoth 
store-house, the people locking up at night and leaving 
for their residences in the surrounding country, some 
nearly thirty miles distant, and returning to business in 
the- morning. It is utterly impossible for any one to 
appreciate the extent of the New York trade without 
seeing it, and then the mind can scarcely comprehend it. 
Through the kindness of the manager of that mam- 
moth establishment, I was shown through Stewart's 
wholesale house, from basement to uppermost room. I 
think it is six stories high, with a large elevator to hoist 
up and let down customers. The retail store covers an 
entire block, and I believe the wholesale house does also 
— at any rate' it is very large. One floor is filled with 
domestics, another with prints, another with woolen 
fabrics, carpets, etc., another with silks, fancy goods, etc. 
Mr. Stewart consumes the entire product of fourteen 
large factories of cotton fabrics. When I was there the 
store contained between $8,000,000 and $10,000,000 
worth of goods; so I was informed by the foreman. I 
next visited the retail store, which is six stories high, 
exclusive of the basement, and has street entrances on 
all- four sides. I do not know how to make one under- 



S96 Life and Adventures of 

stand its magnitude better than by saying that the pay- 
roll shows over 2,000 clerks in the one store, and I think, 
at a reasonable estimate, there were at least 8,000 people 
in the store when I was there. 

I next visited the gold rooms on Wall Street, to see 
the "bulls" and "bears" fight, and to me it was a very 
crreat curiosity. In fact, after having visited as many 
lunatic asylums as I have, had I been set down in the 
gallery blindfolded, and had the bandage removed from 
miy eyes, I should have taken them for a set of maniacs, 
;and should have fully expected to see them pitch into 
one another and fight to the death. Such shouting, 
screaming, shaking of fists and fingers, jostling and 
pushing, I never before saw without its ending in a fight. 
I was asked by a friend who sat at my side, what I 
thought of it. I told him if they were in California a 
commission of lunacy would be issued against the whole 
-crowd and they would be landed in the Stockton asylum 
in less than twenty-four hours. Nevertheless there w^as 
method in their madness, for they seemed to understand 
eone another perfectly. 

Jn my first day's exploration of New York, I owed 
•much to Mr. Steinhart, of the firm of Dinkelspiel, 
Bloom & Co. I had expected to meet my old friend, 
Joseph Bloom, in New York, but in this I was disap- 
pointed, as he had left for California two days before my 
arrival; but Mr. Steinhart was master of the situation, 
and rendered me all the assistance that I could have 
asked of my friend, for which I felt very grateful. 
Among the public grounds which I visited in New York 
— all of which are very beautiful — were Central Park, 
Union Square, Madison Square, Steuben Square, and 



Colonel L. A. Norton. SQT 



Castle Garden. I spent the most of two days in Cen- 
tral Park. It is not only extensive in its dimensions^ 
but it is lovely in the extreme. Art has made it what 
it is, for to divest it of the twelve million dollars ex- 
pended on it, it would be rather a sorry place. But the 
New Yorkers seemed to go on the principle that the 
more crooked the stick the finer the cane, and in Central 
Park they have verified the saying. Where the lake is 
(inside the park) was once a low marsh, covered with 
such a thick growth of brambles, rank grass, and weeds 
as to be an almost impenetrable jungle, a secure hiding- 
place for wild beasts and bad men. At the northeast 
end of the lake is the cave. This is a small concern, 
but I was informed by J. H. Parsell, a native of New 
York, that before the ground was purchased by the cit>r 
it was the rendezvous of a desperate gang of robbers 
who infested the city and completely baffled the police. 
Long and fruitless were the searches for the hiding-place 
of the outlaws and their plunder; but when the city 
cleared off the ground, they found the cave, which turned 
out to be the robbers' den, as many evidences were left 
of the fact in the way of remnants of stolen goods, etc. 
Croton River has been a God-send to New York City. 
I do not know what they would have done without it. 
That stream has been brought into New York by canals 
and aqueducts, and is now emptied into what is known 
as the old and new Croton Lakes, both of which are 
artificial excavations. I could not learn the area of 
either, but they are both large ponds of water and are 
indispensable to the comfort and beauty of the city. 1 
shall attempt no description of buildings, further than to 
say that the new post-office is of most ample proportions^ 



398 Life and Adventures of 

and overtops all its surroundings. Its dome may be 
seen from all surrounding elevations. The two abut- 
ments, or towers, of the East River bridge look like the 
Colossus of Rhodes broken in two near his hipSj'and his 
legs left standing, one on Manhattan and the other on 
Long Island. 

Among the curiosities that I visited in New York (for 
I can only mention some of the most prominent) was 
Barnum's hippodrome, which was the wonder of the day- 
It had been open but three weeks and I was informed 
by good authority that it had taken in over sixty thou- 
sand dollars. It had the effect of closing the theaters 
and other places of amusement. California's favorite? 
McCullough, was then in New York, performing with- 
scarcely a corporal's guard attending. The hippodrome 
is an immense institution; it is to ordinary circuses and 
theaters what a steam locomotive would be to a hand- 
cart. 

At the end of four days I had visited various points 
of interest in New York, from Castle Garden to Sixt}^- 
fifth Street, north and south, and from North to East 
Rivers, east and west; had made the discovery that 
Manhattan Island was divided up into one hundred and 
for^y-one thousand, four hundred and eighty-six lots, and 
that of that number, about sixty-two thousand contained 
buildings of some kind. I then turned my attention to 
the surroundings of New York. Sunday morning, in- 
stead of going to Brooklyn to hear Beecher explain the 
m st approved mode of " nest hiding," I took the boat 
for Staten Island. I had no acquaintance on the boat, 
and having met with so many rebuffs from men of whom 
I had made inquiries, by their going down into their 



I 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 399 

shells like so many clams, it was with a good deal of 
diffidence that I approached a gentleman and made 
some inquiries in regard to Governor's Island and the 
fortifications in the bay. To my grateful surprise I not 
only got a civil answer,but found the gentleman ready and 
even anxious to give me all the information in his power 
(and, by the way, he was well informed). He pointed- 
out every object of interest on our route to Staten Island 
— the numerous store-houses, wharves, fortifications, and 
public buildings. 

On further inquiry I found that my new friend (for 
such he proved himself), was John H. Parsell, of the 
New York City Post-office. From this urbane gentle- 
man I obtained more valuable information in regard to 
New York and its surroundings than from any other 
source. On our return he accompanied me into the city, 
pointed out many relics of Revolutionary days, in- 
structed me in my future researches, and gracefully 
extended me all those delicate attentions that can only 
be found in a heart of refinement and a mind of enlarged 
views. He even followed me with his kindness, 
promptly forwarding all my letters after I had left New 
York. 

I visited in detail, Jersey City, Hoboken, Williams- 
burg, Hell Gate, Blackwell's Island, Governor's Island, 
and Brooklyn. The last named is one of New York's 
lodging-houses. Brooklyn is a large city, containing 
about five hundred thousand inhabitants, and is famous 
for its fine avenues, public grounds, and the far-famed 
Greenwood Cemetery. The highest point of Greenwood 
commands a pretty view of Governor's Island and the 
southern portion of New York. I had heard so much 



400 Life and Adventures of 

about the beauties of Greenwood Cemetery that I had 
supposed it must be a pretty place by nature and exten- 
sively beautified by art; but on visiting it I found that 
naturally it was one of the roughest places imaginable, 
but I honor the judgment of the parties in selecting it as 
a cemetery, as it never could have been made worth a 
cent for anything else. So far as art goes, she has at- 
tempted to make up for the defects of nature by expend- 
ing many millions of dollars — not to tell what departed 
friends were, but what they ought to have been. 

Prospect Park is a lovely place from its natural beau- 
ties, and its elevated position gives a perfect view of the 
eastern slope of Long Lsland, Coney Island, and the 
surrounding country. The Brooklyn people are firmly 
in the faith that in a few years it will eclipse Central 
Park. Taking New York and its surroundings as a 
whole, the American people may justly be proud of the 
great metropolis. 



CHAPTER XLIX. 

VISIT TO THE EAST — PHILADELPHIA AND BALTIMORE. 

AFTER having spent eight days in New York, and 
familiarized myself with the city, and having visited 
both Barnum's great hippodrome and the old Bowery 
theater, besides various works of art and many other 
places of interest, I resumed my journey, passing through 
New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, my 
objective point being Washington. The route lay 
through an undulating country, showing great thrift in 
an agricultural point of view. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 401 

We rushed on "o'er river, plain, and hill," until we 
reached Philadelphia — the "Quaker City." It is situated 
on the Delaware River, a short distance above the bay 
of the same name. The selection of the town site gives 
evidence of good taste, as it is located in the midst of a 
rich agricultural district and commands superior advan- 
tages as a seaport. There are many historic memories 
that cling to the old town, and I regretted that I had no 
more time to spend there. I was much disappointed in 
not finding my old friend, General Patterson, who was 
out of town. The city extends along the Delaware 
River from five to six miles and extends west to and 
beyond the Schuylkill River. It is the second city in 
population in the United States, containing some seven 
hundred thousand inhabitants. Though it is about 
ninety-six miles from the ocean, by the river, the tide 
flows some distance above the city. The soil in and 
about the city is generally of a gravelly character, yet 
there are some bold rocks in the immediate vicinity. 
The old State House (now Independence Hall) is still 
standing and well preserved. The old bell that first 
rang out the joyful notes of the birth of the American 
Republic still has a tongue to speak. It was in this hall 
that the Declaration of Independence was signed, and it 
was also the nation's capitol, with a slight intermission, 
up to 1 800, when the capital was removed to Washington. 
The old capitol stands near the center of the city, and 
Philadelphia may justly be proud of her relic of conti- 
nental days. 

At Philadelphia the water off the pier-heads is from 
forty to fifty feet deep, and the shoatest place on the bar 
below the city is nineteen feet at low tide, which allows 



402 Life and Adventures of 

ships of the largest tonnage to safely approach their 
docks, giving the city both a domestic and foreign trade. 
The streets are all of reasonable width, and some of 
them are very wide and beautiful. Broad Street, I be- 
lieve, is one hundred and thirteen feet in width. The 
original idea of William Penn was carried out and the 
streets of the additions, like those of the first survey, 
cross each other at right angles. The Schuylkill Mount- 
ains (we would call them foot-hills here) approach very 
near to the c-ity. Among other things, Philadelphia can 
boast no less than seven squares or parks, ranging from 
thirty-five acres downwards; and many of them are very 
beautifully ornamented. I learned for the first time that 
Philadelphia was the last resting-place of Benjamin 
Franklin, America's great statesman and philosopher. 
His grave is in the cemetery at Christ's Church, and is 
quite unpretending when compared with many in Green- 
wood Cemetery whose inmates are only known by the 
amount of money expended over their remains. 

Girard College is a grand institution, and some of its 
regulations coincide with my notions. One is that when 
the student leaves college he must be bound out to learn 
some useful trade or profession. The structure is of 
enormous proportions. The building alone was erected 
at a cost of over two million dollars, together with an 
immense outlay of money on the surroundings and fixt- 
ures, with a large fund to run the institution. All tui- 
tion there is free. 

Another great beauty of Philadelphia is its fine 
water works. Though it has no Croton River, or 
stream that can be "brought on a sufficient elevation to 
water the city, yet I have hardly found a city better sup- 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 403 



plied with water; and this is all accomplished by steam 
power. The largest among the water works is the 
Farmington works. The water is elevated ninety-two 
feet, into a large reservoir, or basin, fr.m whence it is 
conducted through pipes into every part of the city. 
Penn, after receiving his grant from Charles II. and 
sending a colony ahead, came to America in 1682, and 
no reflective mind can visit Philadelphia without coming 
to the conclusion that the man who could enter a new 
and wilderness country and use the judgment that he 
did in founding and laying out a city, was competent to 
rule an empire. The old Dutch stock is yet to be found 
in Pennsylvania, and many Quakers in Philadelphia, 
although they seem to have outlived their early preju- 
dices, and morj closely adapt themselves to present cus- 
toms. 

The whole route from Philadelphia to Baltimore 
presents to the traveler a bright and lively picture. The 
soil seems to be generally productive and the whole line 
of road is studded with fine buildings, orchards, lawns, 
parks, and all the conveniences that should surround 
happy homes. On arriving at the depot I could under- 
stand what to me before was a mystery; that is, how 
it was possible for the Baltimoreans to so seriously annoy 
the Massachusetts Regiment in the cars while passing 
through that city at the commencement of the Rebellion. 
I found that the locomotive was detached and a large 
number of horses hitched to the cars to draw them up 
a steep incline, about a mile and a half, to the second 
depot. Hence the opportunity for the prolonged attacks 
with paving-stones and brickbats. This route is still 
adhered to by the Pennsylvania Central Railroad. Al- 



404 Life and Adventures of 

though the grade seems steep, I think it might be trav- 
eled by steam power, but a city ordinance, I understand^ 
forbids it. The Baltimore and Ohio road passes through 
a tunnel under the city. 

Baltimore claims to be the third city in point of 
population in the United States. Such zvas undoubtedly 
the case, but I do not think the claim well founded at 
the present time, as the whole population cannot exceed 
four hundred and fifty thousand. The location of the 
city is a pleasant one. It is situated upon an arm of the 
Patapsco River on sloping ground, gently rising from the 
water to an elevation, at the highest point, of perhaps 
one hundred feet. It is on tide water and, like Philadel- 
phia, has a large shipping trade. There is considerable 
manufacturing at Baltimore, and the shell-fish trade is 
conducted with greater vigor and success than in any 
city of the Union. There are piles of oyster shells in 
various parts of the city that in height and extent would 
rival the famous Pyramid of Cholula. The city is one 
vast pile of brick and mortar. Here are the finest pressed 
brick I ever saw. 

I can say but little of the public buildings, as T could 
not afford the time to make a general survey of the city, 
although there were two structures that came particu- 
larly under my notice. One was Washington's Monu- 
ment and the other the Vernon Church. They are both 
situated on a commanding eminence, and from the top 
of the monument you have a beautiful view of both the 
city and harbor. The monument is round, one hundred 
and eighty feet in height, built of granite with a colossal 
statue of Washington on top. The Vernon Church 
(Episcopal) is the prettiest thing of the kind I ever saw. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 405 

It is built in the Gothic style, small and compact; its 
colorings are lively and tastefully arranged, and every- 
thing about it presents an unusually pleasing aspect; so 
much so that no person of ordinary observation could 
pass it without being attracted by its beauties. The city 
hall is a noble building of white marble; but I did not 
enter it, and consequently had to judge from exterior 
appearances. My time was up, the whistle blew, and I 
was soon on board the cars and rapidly moving over the 
country that divides Baltimore and Washington, arriving 
at the latter place about six o'clock in the evening. 

In penning this I am not unmindful that it must meet 
the eye of many who have visited our national capital, 
among whom may be some who hold different views of 
Washington City from mine; but I always exercise the 
right of seeing with my own eyes, and I give my own 
estimates of men and manners. When I arrived at my 
hotel (Willard's) I was soon surrounded by darkey por- 
ters who vied with each other to see who should get my 
luggage and quarter. My experience had been, during 
the whole trip, that if a man didn't make up his mind 
to bleed freely, he had better dodge first-class hotels. 
The one who takes your valise expects his quarter; the 
one who brushes your dusty back counts on a "piece;" 
the one who takes your soiled linen to the laundry looks 
for his fee, and the one who retui ns it expects you to 
"see" him; you ring for a pitcher of ice-water and it 
costs you some fractional currency; the hand that man- 
ages the elevator becomes very sore unless it receives a 
"shin plaster;" the waiter at table cannot hear or under- 
stand your order unless you open his understanding by 
opening your purse — in a word, you must subsidize 



406 Life and Adventures of 

every lackey that comes in contact with you, or you are 
looked upon as a cipher. But I could not learn whether 
subsidies were first introduced into Washington by 
negro servants or Government officials. 

Montreal, New York, and Washington are, in my 
estimation, the three prettiest cities that I visited. They 
show more taste and architectural beauty, with wide 
streets and white walls, less filth and more life, without 
that somber appearance that characterizes many cities 
of our Union. I had often heard Baltimore praised for 
its pretty women, but I saw none there. At the time I 
could not account for it, but on arriving at Washington 
the mystery was solved; for when I saw the array of 
beauty there I came to the conclusion that the pretty 
women had all moved to Washington during the ses- 
sion of Congress. 

After dinner I ventured out into the strange city. It 
was a clear, pleasant night, with brilliant moon, which 
made it nearly as light as day. I looked up the long 
avenue to Capitol Hill, and there before me, like a spec- 
ter in white, stood the national capitol, with its lofty 
dome extending its dark shadow along the background, 
resembling a stern warrior posted as a sentinel, with his 
plume unstirred by a single breeze, keeping his night 
watch over that lovely city lying below, which was lit 
up by thousands of gas jets, and mirth and pleasure 
held their revels. Government officials, clerks, and em- 
ployes have completed their labors for the day and are 
now out in force. Gray-headed statesmen, pleasure 
seekers, and gallants are now to be seen threading their 
way through the beautiful grounds and parks, escorting 
the softer sex of all ages and conditions, ranging from 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 407 

the most transcendent beauty down to mere bundles of 
paint and powder. Some are seated in retired nooks 
beneath lovely green shades, where the moonbeams 
never stray. Near a babbling fountain, where the voice 
is almost drowned by the sound of many waters, may 
be seen sighing lovers pouring their plaints into ears of 
willing listeners. In these public grounds there are 
lovely walks for the pedestrian, drives for those who 
cannot afford to walk, seats for those who cannot 'stand, 
shade for the retiring, and lights for the student. 

"For oh! if there be an Elysium on earth, 
It is this, it is this." 

The public buildings in Washington are all white. 
The capitol, post-office department, and some others 
are at the east end of the city, while the President's 
mansion and the remainder of the public buildings are 
at the west end, near the Potomac River. Millions 
upon millions of public money have been expended to 
make Washington what it is; but this is as it should' be; 
we have a national reputation to sustain, and how could 
it better be done than by beautifying our capital and 
grounds. 

I cannot convince myself that the site for the Wash- 
ington monument was wisely chosen. It is situated 
upon a point (once an island) commanding an exten- 
sive view of the Potomac River and western shore ; but 
the ground where the monument stands is so much 
lower than the capitol grounds and those of the other 
public buildings that the monument, from a land view, 
is entirely dwarfed when compared with its surround- 
ings. The monument is an imposing structure. Wash- 



408 Life and Adventures of 

ington City would be admired in any country for 
its beautiful streets and avenues, had it no other attrac- 
tions. There is a large negro population, though from 
their servile position they attract but little notice. 

The next morning I called on my friends J. K. Lut- 
trell and Frank Page, both faithful representatives of 
our State in Congress. I was much annoyed to learn 
that they were not friends, not even on speaking terms, 
and that the subject of their disagreement was such 
that I could offer no mediation ; and this was rendered 
still more vexatious to me, as I found them both ap- 
parently laboring faithfully (but each in his own way) 
for the interests of their constituency. Mr. Page was 
domiciled at Washington, had his family with him, his 
own house, carriage and complete outfit for driving and 
entertaining friends and guests. In calling at his house 
I was made to feel as though I was once more among 
friends. As to the quarters of Luttrell, they seemed 
unpretending and looked more like the workshop of 
the laborious student and statesman than a hall of 
pleasure ; and I was not long in finding out that he was 
a general favorite in Congress, and that the defeat of 
many of his prominent measures for California was nei- 
ther owing to his want of perseverance or popularity, 
but was rather owing to a combination in the East 
against the entire delegation from the Pacific slope. 
Luttrell seemed to know everybody and perfectly con- 
fused me with introductions to notable characters whom 
I could not describe were I disposed to make the 
attempt. 

I had long had a desire to see Gen. Ben Butler, 
and it was now gratified. He was quietly listening to 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 409 

the debate, and looked as placid and innocent as a 
child. I was told by those who know him that he is 
one of the most affable and gentlemanly members of 
our national legislature. I had never supposed that 
there were a great many listeners to Congressional 
speeches, unless upon great occasions, though I had 
never thought that there was such a scanty auditory as 
I found, nor that men would talk for hours to reporters 
and bare walls. Upon expressing my surprise, I was 
informed by an old Congressman that those speeches 
were not made for members, but for the constituents at 
home. 

I saw the negro orator, Fred Douglass. I should 
suppose from his complexion, that he probably is a 
quadroon and that he owes his intelligence to white an- 
cestors; at least, he has more ability than full-blooded 
negroes ever fall heir to. His head is as white as a 
'sheet, and age seems to be telling upon him. I also 
met Gen. J. W. Denver, an old Californian, who told 
me that he was practicing law in Ohio. Senator Cole 
was also at the capitol, looking as though he was very 
much at home in its halls. But enough of this, for I 
met no one in Washington unknown to fame — even 
Grant is known throughout the land — and they are all 
"written up" by more able pens than mine, and as this 
is a simple story of a traveler I leave biography to 
others. 

From the time I left home it had been my intention 
to visit Mount Vernon. I accordingly took passage on 
a steamer that made daily trips to that sacred place. 
I believe we started about seven o'clock in the morning 
and returned at four in the afternoon, and that the dis- 
27 



410 Life and Adventures of 

tance is about twenty-five or thirty miles from Wash- 
ington. It was a lovely morning as we steamed down 
that wide and beautiful river. There was not a ripple 
on the water and it reflected objects from its smooth 
surface with all the truthfulness of a mirror. We swept 
down past Alexandria and numerous fortifications on 
either shore, and in due time landed at Mount Vernon. 
A beautiful custom here strikes the visitor. Every 
steamer that passes down the river commences tolling 
its bell before reaching Washington's burial place, and 
continues the solemn tolling until the vessel has passed 
the spot. Mount Vernon is on the west bank of the 
Potomac, on a high commanding point. The river,, 
whose general course is north and south, then makes a 
bend to the west, which gives a grand view up and 
down the stream. The close observer will soon learn 
on landing at Mount Vernon that, though he is stand- 
ing, as it were, on holy ground, though pressing the soil 
so often trod by the "father of his country," yet there 
is but little there that Washington could recognize, 
were he permitted to pay it a visit; for the evidences of 
former neglect and recent repairs are too apparent at 
every glance to admit of doubt or contradiction. The 
late improvements have been made by the Ladies' 
Mount Vernon Association. Washington's tomb is 
between the house and river. It is large, but un- 
pretending, and is composed of brick-work with iron 
gratings in front. It contains the remains of others of 
the family, besides several graves and monuments near 
by, of other noted persons. The residence is a com- 
mon two-story building, with porches above and below. 
Some books and paintings of the Washington family 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 411 

still remain in the house. The grounds have been well 
laid out and cultivated ; the trees are numerous, and 
many of them native forest productions; but the great 
attraction is the fact of its being the last residence and 
final resting-place of the great American hero and 
father of a nation. We spent a pleasant day and re- 
turned to Washington City in the evening, virithout ac- 
cident or remarkable incident outside of the objects of 
our visit. 



CHAPTER L. 

A VLSIT TO THE EAST — "ON TO RICHMOND!" 

AFTER having taken the principal cities of the 
Union by storm (for up to this time there had been 
but little fair weather), and wishing to emulate the 
heroes of other days, I was determined to push my 
conquests south. Accordingly on the 24th of May, 
1874, after arming myself with a box of cigars, a flask 
of old Bourbon and a box of Brandreth's pills, I opened 
the campaign by chartering a steamer (or at least two 
dollars and a half's worth of one) and steamed boldly 
down the Potomac, passing Alexandria and other 
places of less note. In about two hours and a half we 
landed at Quantico, where we took the cars for Rich- 
mond. Whether from our approach or some other 
cause, I found the country pretty generally deserted, 
excepting by a few contrabands who attacked the train, 
but by bestowing quarters they were easily captured. 
The country through which we passed at some time 
had been cultivated and very well improved, but the 



412 Life and Adventures of 

land seemed to have been worn out and the farms neg- 
lected. The soil had never been of a very good quality, 
being generally a gravelly ridge covered with yellow 
pine timber. In many places the yellow pine had 
sprung up on lands that had once been cultivated, and 
had attained a growth of from eight to ten inches in 
diameter. In some instances they were clearing off the 
second forest, preparatory to cultivation. 

In due time we reached Fredericksburg, a small town 
pleasantly located on the south bank of the Rappahan- 
nock. It was at this point that Joe Hooker made his 
big fight, and where Stonewall Jackson and many other 
brave men fell; but not a sign is left to tell of that san- 
guinary struggle ; not a fortification, trench, or earthwork 
is now to be seen. I took the town entirely by sur- 
prise, as there was not a soul in the place aware of my 
approach. There were but two shots fired, and those 
were fired by me. I shot Mr. Barbour, an old citizen of 
Fredericksburg, and his companion. Both shots took 
effect in the neck, and the enemy surrendered at discre- 
tion. After the capture we were soon on board the 
cars and arrived at Richmond about four o'clock in the 
afternoon, where, a short struggle ensued, but I was 
again victorious. The city surrendered and I estab- 
lished my head-quarters in the Ballard and Exchange, 
having accomplished in one day what cost the United 
States two years of bloody war and untold millions of 
treasure to do, and that "without the loss of a man on 
our side." I wonder if history will do me justice. 

Richmond is a beautiful city. On entering it, the 
cars ran out to the bridge spanning the James River, 
and before me, spread out for nearly half a mile in 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 413 

width, lay that lovely stream, rushing', bounding, and 
dashing- its spray upon the monster granite bowlders 
that impeded its course. Here is one of the first water 
powers in the world. It is practically unlimited, both 
in fall and volume of water. The banks are of that 
character that the water may be raised to any necessary 
height Richmond has been noted for its superior flour. 
There were originally four large flouring mills, of which 
two remain. One was destroyed by fire during the 
rebellion and the remains of another were still smoking; 
when I was there. But not one-thousandth part of the 
water-power has ever been employed. The city is sit- 
uated on the north bank of the river, right at the foot 
of the rapids, to which point steamers of a large class- 
run up. The country around Richmond is fertile, espe- 
cially the James River bottom below and south of the 
city. It is something like two hundred feet from the 
bed of the river to the top of the bank, which then 
spreads out into a level plain. The water to supply the 
city is taken from the river, two miles above. Its abun- 
dance permits the people to enjoy many miniature lakes 
and playing fountains. Evergreens, beautiful shade 
trees, green velvet lawns, and sparkling fountains make 
the large and fine grounds around the State House 
seem a perfect paradise. 

During my visit to Richmond I tried to trace some 
evidences of the great struggle, but in vain. There is 
scarcely a mark or a scar left to give evidence of the 
sanguinary conflicts that raged in and about the city. 
My first and greatest curiosity was to visit the old Libby 
prison, which is situated between Gary Street and the 
river. I found it now, as it was before the war, an enor- 



414 Life and Adventures of 

mous tobacco factory, everything intact and doing a 
flourishing business; the only change in it was a few new- 
posts, Eastern visitors having carried the original posts 
off, piece-meal, by way of relics. I next visited Castle 
Thunder, and found a well-built machine shop — "this 
and nothing more." Washington's residence stands on 
the main street of the city, carefully protected, and held 
intact as a relic of continental days. I noticed at this 
place, as in other parts of the South, that every evidence 
of the rebellion, so far as it was possible, had been ob- 
literated. The visitor may take the line of the great 
seven days' fight and follow it clear down to Malvern 
Hill, and he will see nothing to evidence it excepting the 
graves of those who fell in that long and bloody action. 
There is one monument erected to the memory of the 
Confederate dead. It is obelisk-shaped, built of rough 
stone, and I should think about sixty feet high, without 
mortar or cement. Evergreen vines are being trained 
around it. 

While all reasonable efforts have been made to oblit- 
erate the recollections of our late civil strife, it is pleas- 
ing to see how carefully everything has been preserved 
that relates to the great Revolution of our forefathers. 
Not only the residence of Washington is faithfully pre- 
served, but s^anding on Libby Hill is the venerable 
St. John's Church, in which Patrick Henry delivered his 
philippics against the English Government, and where 
with matchless eloquence he urged our patriotic sires to 
take up arms in defense of infant liberty. It is true 
the church is somewhat like the boy's jackknife which 
had been rehandled and rebladed, yet it was the knife 
his grandsire gave him. St. John's Church, though 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 415 

sided, floored, and roofed several times, no doubt (as it 
is a wooden building), is yet preserved and exhibited 
with great pride by the Richmondites as the sacred 
place that gave out inspiration to the heroes who threw 
off King George's yoke. 

In the State House grounds stands the finest eques- 
trian statue of Washington that I saw on my journey, 
and, it is said, the finest in the world. Around on the 
projecting pedestal, stands, in life size, Virginia's states- 
men and heroes. Among them are Patrick Henry, 
Thomas Jefferson, Crawford, Mason, and several others. 
But it would take a large pedestal to contain the statues 
of all the great men Virginia has produced. Inside the 
State House there are many things that to the lovers of 
early American history are worthy of observation. 
There is a great mass of documents relating to revolu- 
tionary days which reach back even to the first settle- 
ment of America, for be it remembered that the city 
of Richmond is one of the oldest cities of America. 
Among other things in the State House, I found the 
parole of honor of Lord Cornwallis, upon which he was 
released for exchange. It was dated October 28, 1781, 
and permitted Cornwallis to return to England either 
by way of New York or Baltimore, and he pledged his 
honor to report himself for exchange any place dictated 
by His Excellency, George Washington, commander-in- 
chief of the United States forces. I also saw, preserved 
under glass, the original draft of the Declaration of 
Rights, by Mason. There are also many ancient books 
there preserved, and some of them are great curiosities. 
One was published over five hundred years ago — of 
■course before the art of printing, but I am certain that 



416 Life and Adventures of 

with all our improvements, nothing at this day would 
be better executed, and it was hard for me to realize 
that it was possible^ to execute a work with such uni- 
formity of letter and neatness of execution. The Vir- 
ginians will exhibit to you with equal pride the rock, 
about seven miles below the city, on which John Smith's 
head was laid for execution when rescued by Poca- 
hontas. 

But, by the way, speaking of water puts a man in 
mind of fishing. I have a fine production of the art 
and genius of this same John Smith. It is nothing less 
than a correct and well-executed engraved map of the 
survey of the State of Virginia, made by him. The 
survey was made while in the colony and the map was 
engraved at London, England. Smith did not live to 
enjoy the fruits of his labor or to even exhibit to the 
people of England his map of the new world ; but a 
traveler discovered the plate among some old rubbish 
that was being exposed for sale at auction, and bought 
it. The copy in my possession was kindly presented 
me by the superintendent of public printing in Virginia 
-Mr. Walker. 

The mass of the inhabitants of Richmond are negroes, 
or more or less mixed with negro blood. I found them 
employed as barbers, mechanics of different kinds, 
house servants and common laborers, but I never in 
one instance saw one of them in a store, either as clerk 
or principal; and the matter struck me as being so 
strange that I gave it my particular attention. Not- 
withstanding the great negro majority in Richmond, 
the city officers are all Democrats, many of the negroes 
esteeming the carpet-baggers worse than do the whites; 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 417 

and many of the negroes, if their declarations are to be 
taken a§ true, regret the change from slavery to freedom. 
They told me that when they could get work it was all 
very nice, but when they got out of employment, or 
were sick, they had no home and were driven to do 
things which they did not like to do. On the other 
hand, when they were with their masters they always 
had a home and no care. I almost universally heard 
them speaking of their old masters with pride and rev- 
erence, and showing a warm attachment for them, just 
as the whites boast of the name of their ancestors. I 
would frequently ask them why they did not return to 
their old masters and live with them, and the reply 
nearly always was, "Massa is dead," or, " Massa is poor 
now." I further learned that where the former master 
is living, there is generally a good feeling between him 
and his former slave, and in many instances where the 
negro is out of a home he falls back on his old master 
until he can do better. But what is most refreshing is 
to see the plug-hatted colored politician strut and swell, 
and to see with what contempt they look down upon 
" de po' foolish nigga." I was informed by the business 
men of Richmond that the city has not been in as pros- 
perous a condition for many years as it is at the present 
time. 

I had intended going farther south, but was dissuaded 
from my purpose by the Richmond people, who assured 
me that my trip would be anything but pleasant or in- 
structive. The seasons are just about as early in Rich- 
mond as they are in this part of California. Richmond, 
with her boundless water-power, her advantages as a 
shipping point, together with a fertile country surround- 



418 Life and Adventures of 

ing it, has a future surpassed by few cities in the United 
States; and I think, if from any cause I should be com- 
pelled to run away from this country, the officers of the 
law might look for me in Richmond with a good pros- 
pect of finding me. 

On Sunday morning I ascended the hill and took a 
last look at the city of Richmond, packed my traps, 
bade good-by to the Ballard and Exchange Hotel, and 
at half-past one o'clock took the cars on .my back track, 
arriving in Washington about six in the evening. 



CHAPTER LI. 

A VISIT TO THE EAST — HOMEWARD BOUND. 

1HAD now become very anxious (I do not like to say 
homesick) about home, and took my way through 
Harrisburg, Pittsburg, Columbus, and " all intermediate 
points" tor Cincinnati. I would like to tell you some- 
thing about the city of Pittsburg, but the smoke was so 
dense that it was absolutely impossible to see enough to 
form any opinion further than to say that coal, smoke, 
and iron were the principal things with which I came in 
contact. As to Columbus, it is only remarkable from the 
fact that it is the capital of Ohio. We landed from the 
cars at Cincinnati in the night, and I probably never 
shall know just how I did get in, as we went a great dis- 
tance around the city before the hackmen assailed us; 
but at last I brought up at the Burnett House, where I 
got good accommodations at four and a half dollars per 
day. I remained but one day, although I regretted that 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 419 

I could not get my own consent to stay longer. The 
city is built in a bend, between the river and the bluffs. 
The bench, or valley, is a complete amphitheater, and I 
do not know whether the ground was formed for the 
. city or the city for the ground; but one thing is certain, 
the city just fills the space and is a good fit. 

I went to see the inclined plane that is constructed to 
ascend the bluff overlooking the city. It is so arranged 
that when one car runs up the steep incline another runs 
down, operating like a couple of well buckets, one at 
each end of the rope. The rope is made of wire and is 
about an inch and a half thick. The motive power is a 
large steam engine on the hill. The enterprise is still 
young, although they have a large pavilion, restaurant, 
saloons, etc., and the place is intended to be to Cincin- 
nati what Woodward's Garden is to San Francisco, with 
some exceptions. From this elevated position you have 
a magnificent view of the city which lies at your feet, 
and a long stretch of the Kentucky shore. Standing on 
this commanding position, it is difficult to realize that 
three hundred thousand inhabitants are at once beneath 
the vision's range. Cincinnati is a great horse market, 
and many hundreds of fine horses are sold there daily. 
Real estate was very low while I was there, magnificent 
brown stone fronts being sold at auction. The city has 
a very fine park, several public squares, and many hand- 
some public buildings. 

As I am homeward bound, my route lies through the 
southern part of Indiana after leaving Ohio. This por- 
tion of Indiana has been heavily timbered, and the soil 
does not compare very favorably vvith the middle, or 
prairie, portion of the State. We passed Vincennes, 



420 Life and Adventures of 

crossed the Wabash River, ran through Illinois, crossing 
the Kaskaskia River at Carlisle, and arrived at St. Louis 
about six o'clock in the evening. The next morning I 
was not long in discovering that the St. Louis of 1848 
was completely lost in the St. Louis of 1874; and I, too, 
was lost vVhere I was once well acquainted. Everything 
had so changed in appearance that the Planters' House 
did not seem to stand on the same ground that it did 
twenty-six years ago. The grand steel bridge spanning 
the Mississippi River is a magnificent work of art, and 
the descriptions that have been published are not exag- 
gerated. Being a traveler I was permitted to go onto 
the bridge the day before it was opened to the public, 
and I had a fine opportunity to examine the beautiful 
structure. The Mississippi steamers pass under its im- 
mense arches, but the noblest of them are compelled to 
make their obeisance as they pass under the spans, by 
lowering a part of their smoke-stacks, which is done by 
ingenious hinge arrangements and cable chains attached 
to the top of the pipe. The lowering and raising are 
done by steam power. On the St. Louis side the bridge 
extends up to Third Street, and over it passes all busses, 
street-cars, teams, and foot passengers; while the railroad 
trains come under the city by way of a tunnel and enter 
the bridge below, or, if you please, on the first story. 
St. Louis has very respectable parks and public gardens. 
The largest, as well as I remember, contains about thirty- 
eight acres, and is very well ornamented by way of shade 
trees and works of art. 

Leaving Str Louis we traveled across Missouri, visiting 
Kansas City on our route, but in reaching that point we 
passed through a level, fertile, and what looked like a 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 421 

very sickly country, as green pools and ponds of water 
were standing all along the route. Kansas City is located 
on the Kansas frontier, in Jackson County, Missouri, on 
the south bank of the Missouri River, just below the 
mouth of the Kansas River, and is about fourteen miles 
from Independence. It is on elevated ground, and I 
should think it a healthy location. It is well laid out, 
the streets being wide, and the most of the buildings 
are of brick. There are churches representing almost 
every Christian creed. 

From this point I made a night trip to Omaha, arriv- 
ing there about ten o'clock in the morning, after some 
delays on the east side of the Missouri River. About 
eleven we were on our way for California, having been 
fortunate enough to secure a good lower section in the 
palace sleeping-car. We rolled along over every variety 
of country of which the mind could conceive, but the 
general topography was barren and uninteresting after 
leaving the Platte River. 

When I left home for my Eastern visit, I left behind 
na.e green fields and buds and blossoms of spring; but on 
nearing the Sierra I merged from spring into winter, and 
continued to encounter winter weather through Nevada, 
Utah, and, in fact, through all the Western States, Upper 
and Lower Canada, Vermont, New Hampshire, and 
Massachusetts. I found spring again in New York City, 
and it continued until I reached Richmond, where I 
found summer, which held on until I reached Omaha, 
when I again came into the season of spring. This 
lasted until I came to the Sierra Nevada on my home- 
ward journey, and there I found my third winter in one 
year. But on commencing the descent of the western 



422 Life and Adventures of 

slope of the Sierra, what a change ! and with what pride 
the old Californian would exclaim to those who were visit- 
ing this State for the first time, "This is our country! " 

As far as the eye could extend, we could see spreading 
out before us the ripe, waving fields of grain, gently un- 
dulating in one of California's soft and delicious breezes, 
reflecting back its rich golden hue in the brilliant rays of 
a California summer sun. The passengers were perfectly 
delighted, each calling the attention of fellow travelers 
to the opposite side of the cars, and each believing 
that he or she had discovered a prospect surpassing in 
loveliness all others. To those who had never witnessed 
it before the sight was equaled only by that of Balboa 
on discovering the Pacific. Presently we came in full 
view of the Sacramento River. From our elevated 
position it looked like a silver thread winding its way 
through bright green pastures until it lost itself in 
the distant windings among the foot-hills of Mount 
Diablo, which are kissed by the ever restless waves of 
San Pablo Bay. In this instance Campbell is wrong. 
"Distance" does not "lend enchantment to the view," 
for as we approached Sacramento the scene became more 
lovely still. Broad, spreading vineyards, well-cultivated 
gardens, orchards loaded with fruit, long and shady 
avenues, and palatial residences were constantly passing 
before us in this beautiful panorama. All on board 
seemed not only happy, but jubilant. 

We arrived at Sacramento, the capital of California, 
and, after twenty minutes for lunch, were off again on 
the southern route for San Francisco. This route gave 
us an excellent view of California's capitol, and as I 
viewed that massive pile, with its ample and lofty dome 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 423 

I could say with honest pride that, after a travel of over 
eight thousand miles, it was the finest public structure I 
had seen, the national capitol alone excepted. Passing 
through the city of Stockton, and other towns, we ar- 
rived in San Francisco at seven o'clock in the evening. 



CHAPTER LII. 

MY CALIFORNIA HOME. 

** Breathes there a man with soul so dead 
Who never to himself has said, 

This is my own, my native land ! 
Whose heart has ne'er within him burned, 
As home his footsteps he has turned 
From wandering on a foreign strand ! " 

HAVING led my California friends through a long 
journey over several States, and through the prin- 
cipal cities of the Union, I will now, as a closing scene, 
devote a short chapter to a description of my California 
home and its surroundings, for the benefit of my East- 
ern friends, to whom I hope it may not be entirely un- 
interesting. The last chapter closed with my arrival at 
San Francisco. That city I shall not attempt to describe. 
Though but twenty-five years old, it is the Hercules of 
the Pacific. In 1849 it was Yerba Buena. The pueblo 
of Yerba Buena contained the Mission Dolores and lit- 
tle more. Now, in 1874, it is the great mart of the 
Pacific, and boasts a population of two hundred thousand 
inhabitants. It would take a respectable volume instead 
of a single chapter to describe that flourishing city and 
its surroundings. 



424 Life and Adventures of 

At San Francisco I met my family, and, after remain- 
ing a short time to enable them to finish up their visit, 
one bright day in June we took passage in the steamer 
Antelope and crossed the bay en route for Healdsburg 
There was not a breeze to ruffle the placid waters, and 
we steamed along past Red Rock and the Two Brothers, 
and in about two hours and a half arrived at Donahue, 
where we took the cars for Healdsburg. On landing at 
Donahue I was once more in old Sonoma County, with 
familiar scenes surrounding me. About twelve miles 
north and east lay the city of Sonoma, one of the oldest 
towns in California; in fact, it was a place of some im- 
portance when San Francisco was the Yerba Buena of 
Mexico, with little else than drifting sand-hills and an 
occasional rocky cliff. At the time of the conquest of 
California, during the Mexican War, Sonoma was a point 
of considerable importance to the Americans, and it 
was at this place that the famous Bear Flag was hoisted. 

A ride of sixteen miles from Petaluma, through a very 
pleasant valley, brings us to Santa Rosa. This fine little 
city is situated near the center of the lovely valley of 
that name. The surrounding country is generally fertile, 
producing wheat, barley, oats, and all the family of root 
vegetables in great abundance, but it is most remarkable 
for its immense yields of hay. The valley lying between 
Santa Rosa and Petaluma is very rich in soil, but rather 
low, and it has received but little at the hands of art to 
develop or to beautify its natural resources. The valley 
was, unfortunately, a Mexican grant, and has never been 
divided up into farms, but the whole constitutes an im- 
mense stock ranch. Santa Rosa is the county seat of 
Sonoma County, and for the last two years has made a 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 425 

rapid growth. It boasts a city government and is in a 
flourishing condition. It is sustained by its colleges and 
the agricultural pursuits of the neighborhood. 

Fifteen miles in a northeasterly direction lies the town 
of Healdsburg, my home. Healdsburg is situated on 
the bank of Russian River, between that stream and 
Dry Creek. The land upon which the town is built is 
dry and gravelly, with the Russian River Valley on the 
east and the famous Dry Creek Valley west and north 
of the city. The town is also about two miles above the 
confluence of the two streams. No more lovely spot 
was ever selected for a town site. The soil in the valleys 
surrounding Healdsburg is probably the finest in the 
world, the banks of the Nile not excepted. And the 
best feature in the case is the fact that artificial fertiliza- 
tion is not needed, as nature has provided a fertilizer in 
the flood that visits us in our winter season. Sometimes 
it is much greater than it is at others, owing to the canon 
some twelve miles below Healdsburg, which in a very 
heavy flood backs the water over our valleys to a depth 
of from three to four feet. There is then but little cur- 
rent and the rich vegetable deposits washed from the 
surrounding hills are allowed to settle on the surface 
of the ground. These floods run off very soon and 
never overflow the land more than from twenty-four to 
thirty-six hours, and, though the grain crops may be 
sowed, and all green, they are not injured, but frequently 
improved by their inundation. 

Sonoma County is the garden of California, and Rus- 
sian River and Dry Creek Valleys are the garden spots 
of Sonoma County. One remarkable feature is that 
since the county's earliest settlement we have never lost 
28 



426 Life and Adventures of 

a crop. Where we have sown we have always reaped a 
rich harvest, and in some instances we have harvested 
from sixty-five to seventy bushels of wheat to the acre, 
while the crops of Indian corn compare favorably with 
those raised on the American bottoms. Adjoining our 
valleys on the west is a fine forest of redwood, firs, and 
other valuable timber, which affords an abundant supply 
for fuel, fencing, lumber, and all other purposes. The 
water here is peculiarly good. It is pure, cold, and soft. 
There are gushing springs flowing from almost every 
hill, and throughout the valleys, water of the same 
quality may be obtained at the depth of from twelve to 
twenty feet. For washing purposes it is equally as good 
and pure as rain-water; hence no cisterns or saving of 
rain-water are ever indulged in here. Flowing from our 
hills and mountains are numerous spring brooks, full of 
speckled trout, where the angler finds fine sport, while in 
our mountains, bear of several varieties, deer, grouse, 
squirrels, and quail abound. 

Healdsburg is within seventeen miles of the great 
Geyser Springs, over one -of the finest mountain roads in 
the world. The view of the valley and streams below 
from this road beggars all description. Skaggs Springs 
are situated fourteen miles up one of the loveliest drives 
in the world. Lytton's Soda and Seltzer Springs are 
distant three miles from here. A large hotel is being 
built at these springs, and next year it will be opened to 
the public. This will at once become one of the most 
popular watering places in the State. Sulphur Flat 
Sulphur Spring is within two miles, P^itch Mountain 
Sulphur Spring within one mile and a half, and many 
others of less note arc within a short distance of this 
place. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 427 

Our climate cannot be surpassed in the world. We 
have some hot days during the summer, but they are 
very few and easily endured when we take into consider- 
ation the fact that such a thing as a hot night is unknown 
with us. We can always sleep under a couple of blan- 
kets during the warmest summer nights; and we are 
never troubled with mosquitoes or gnats. The fogs and 
cold winds from the ocean hive but little effect here, as 
the winds in crossing the Coast Range for about forty 
miles become so modified and softened as to be only 
cool and pleasant. During my long residence in this 
town, I have never known a case of chills and fever, or 
fever and ague, or any other malarious disease, unless 
brought here from some other part, and then it would 
soon disappear. 

Our scenery is the admiration of all visitors. It is, in 
fact, one extensive valley from the bay to and far be- 
yond Healdsburg. As the town is approached it seems 
an amphitheater surrounded in the background by lofty 
hills and mountains. At the east, just raising its 
high head and prominent nose above Fitch Mountain, 
may be seen Mount St. Helena, some fifteen miles dis- 
tant. To the northeast is Pine Mountain, crowned with 
a dense forest, while north is Sulphur Peak, raising its 
bald head high above the surrounding hills. Fitch 
Mountain, within a mile of the city, is a prominent 
landmark by which we can for many miles around locate 
the exact position of Healdsburg. At the west the hills 
gradually rise until, far in the distance, between us and 
the ocean, they assume the magnitude of mountains and 
present to the eye one of the loveliest pictures imacrina- 
ble. The first belt of hills, ranging from three to four 



428 Life and Adventures of 

miles distant, is studded with lofty fir and redwood trees, 
stationed on the summit equidistant from each other, 
looking like so many giant sentinels on those lofty watch- 
towers of nature to guard the valley below; and when 
the departing sun casts it^ golden light upon the elevated 
crests, throwing the lengthening shadows down the vale, 
no more lovely sight ever met human gaze. 



CHAPTER LIII. 

RETURN TO BUSINESS — MORE THRILLING INCIDENTS. 

ON my return from the East, I once more settled 
down to my profession. As to my family relations, 
on the first day of September, 1865, 1 had married Miss 
Minnie MoUoy, daughter ( f Dr. E. B. Molloy, and she 
proved a most kind and affectionate wife, wholly domestic 
in her nature, and, thanks to her parents, had been the 
recipient of a first-class education. Her affections were 
of that warm and engaging nature that she looked upon 
the happiness of her husband and children as her only 
aim in life. She bore three children, the eldest a girl. 
However, I held her but for the .short space of six years, 
and her death left me with an infant boy eight months 
old. In the early months of our marriage an accident 
happened to me, which I will here record. 

I was engaged on part of the plaintiff in the case of 
Bennet z's. Bennet, for divorce, having made an applica- 
tion for the custody of the children. The case w^as tried 
in Mendocino County, and it was necessary for four of 
us, the plaintiff, her two witnesses, and myself to go 
from Healdsburg to Ukiah, and that necessitated a two- 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 429 



seated conveyance. On application at the livery stable 
I was informed that I could either have a thorough- 
brace or a light two-seated carriage. I told them that 
I would take the carriage, but I wanted a true, steady 
team, as there was no brake on the carriage. Well, we 
went to Ukiah, made our showing, and got an order of 
court for the children, and were jubilant over our success. 
As we were returning over the old toll-road on the west 
side of Russian River, the high hills on our right and a 
perpendicular precipice of thirty feet on the left, and a 
roa 1-bed of about fifteen feet, winding up the mountain, 
on turning a bend, we suddenly met a team. The bank 
side was ours by right of way, but the other parties 
took it, throwing us on the side next the precipice. 
They halted to let me pass (I was driving), but as I 
attempted to drive on I discovered the limb of an oak 
tree projecting over the road, that came so far out as to 
fence me off, so that I could not swing in behind them. 
Coming to a halt, I told them to drive ahead; but before 
they could understand what I wanted, my horses com- 
menced backing, and the wagon pulled on them, inclin- 
ing to run down the grade. I readily comprehended 
the situation and urged my horses to advance, striking 
them with the whip; but the more I urged them, the 
faster they backed. At this place there was a bend in 
the bank, forming a horseshoe, the toe running to tlie 
precipice. I saw that we were destined to go over the 
precipice back foremost. As the grade got steeper 
in our downward descent, I whirled my horses, facing 
the precipice, and noticed a jack-oak growing below the 
precipice, whose branching, feathery top came up even 
with the top of the bank. It was now so steep that the 



430 Life and Adventures of 

horses could not hold the wagon, and I plunged them 
into the top of the tree (^which was about eight inches 
in diameter at the butt), and down we went, head fore- 
most—horses, carriage, tree and all. The tree bent 
down \\ ith the weight, but as soon as the horses, car- 
riage, and passengers struck the bed of the creek below, 
the three passengers pitched out, and t e horses being 
on the ground, the tree, thus released, sprung back, 
throwing the carriage clear and pitching me some fifteen 
feet, head foremost, among the rocks. The next thing 
I knew the parties from the other wagon had hold of 
me, attempting to carry me out. I gained my feet, and, 
with their assistance, climbed to the road, where they 
got me into their wagon and drove me, with the rest, to 
MacDonald's Hotel, on the road, I believe about two 
miles. MacDonald got a mattress and spread it on a 
sidewalk running along the front of the hotel, where it 
was cool, and I was laid on it. 

I had been there but a few minutes when I heard 
some one say that Rennet, the defendant in our case, 
had run off with the children, and it was supposed that 
he was taking them to Oregon. When 1 heard this I 
asked MacDonald if he had any brandy. He ans\\ered 
in the affirmative, when I asked for a glass. After drink- 
ing it, I dictated dispatches to Chief Burke, of San 
Francisco, and to the Sacramento police, and all was a 
blank for some time. The next thing that I realized 
was that Dr. Pike was present (the local physician). 
Word was sent to Healdsburg for Dr. O. S. Alien, my 
family physician, and Dr. Molloy, my father-in-law. 
On the way down the man reported the accident in 
Cloverdale, and Dr. Weaver, from the State of Nevada, 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 431 

a former partner of Dr. Allen, happened to he there; 
he said, " If one of Allen's patients is hurt, I must go 
and see him." The resident physician of Cloverdale 
hitched up his team, and they came up, and two hours 
later Drs. Allen and MoUoy arrived, making five doctors 
in all. (Some will say that was enough to kill any man.) 
They went to work in good earnest, gave me a thor- 
ough examination, found that two ribs had been stove 
in near the backbone, that the point of the left shoulder 
was broken, that my head was badly cut in several 
places and full of gravel-stones, and that the nervous 
system was badly shaken. My neck and all around the 
top of my shoulders assumed an inky blackness, but I 
had become entirely conscious. Night was coming on, 
and they were desirous of getting me into the house. 
They attempted to move me on the mattress, and carry 
me in, but the instant they commenced raising me on 
the mattress the breath would leave me. and I would 
faint, the pain was so excruciating. They had to leave 
me where I was, and I was compelled to remain there 
with an awning over me for three days, when I called 
MacDonald to me and asked him if he had any wide 
boards about the place, from sixteen to eighteen inches 
wide. He said that he had, when I asked him to cut off 
a piece seven feet long and bring it there. Some 
thought I was losing my mind, but he complied with 
my request. •' Now," said I, " nail a bracket on one end, 
four inches high." He again complied. " Now," said I 
to Dr. Allen, "carefully shove that board under my 
mattress, and let the bracket come up to my feet." This 
was done. " Now," I continued, "go to my head and 
raise the board." I found that my plan was a success; 



432 Life and Adventures of 

that lying on the stiff board I could be moved without 
any rack or pain. I lay at MacDonald's a week, when 
I was moved, with the aid of my board, to my home in 
Healdsburg, where I lay for nearly three months. 

The doctors unanimously agreed that I would never 
get entirely over the injuries, but would be able to get 
around, and might survive for several years. But they 
were mistaken, as I have had occasion to try my man- 
hood several times since, and could not see that I had 
lost much of my former elasticity. 

Subsequent to the foregoing event, there was a des- 
perate attempt made upon my life; I was seated in a 
chair, when the would-be assassin drew a cocked revolver, 
clapped it to my ear and fired. I saw the pressure 
of his fingers upon the trigger of the revolver, and throw- 
ing my head back and my hand up, the bullet crashed 
diagonally through the hand. I sprang to my feet and 
with my other hand reached for my revolver; but it was 
in the scabbard, buttoned down. My assailant had a 
long navy revolver, and continued his fire at close range, 
the muzzle of his pistol never four feet from me during 
the fire. He continued to fire in the most excited man- 
ner until he had emptied his weapon, when I had suc- 
ceeded in getting my revolver with my one hand. He 
then started to run, when I hastily fired as he was about 
to escape through a door. I fired a little too quick, and 
just barked his neck with my bullet. I then sprang 
forward and drew a bead 'on his back as he was running; 
but from some cause the hammer of my revolver came 
down between the tubes. I cocked again, and w(;uld 
have got him before he escaped from the building, !.ad 
it not been that a pretended friend sprang forward and 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 433 

between us, exclaiming, " Here, Cap., take my pistol." 
I subsequently learned that he too was in the plot to kill 
me. He merely took that position to save his companion 
in guilt. My assailant had attempted to get up a row 
with me in the morning, on some trivial matter, and on 
walking from me said significantly, " I will see you 
again." These words put me so far on my guard as to 
buckle on my revolver. I was afterwards told that the 
squatters had agreed that, if he would kill me, he should 
have five hundred dollars. Well, I followed him up, he 
running and I pursuing, until I got two more shots, but 
at long range, when I became so weak from loss of blood 
that I could not follow further. He escaped from the 
country, and was absent for something over a year. 

This last occurrence left me in rather a bad situation, 
having comparatively lost the use of my right hand by 
a saber cut in the Mexican War, and now my left shat- 
tered by an assassin's bullet, left me crippled in both 
hands. And this combination of circumstances has 
clearly demonstrated to me that the old adage, " Truth 
is stranger than fiction," has been verified. But this was 
no secret; the whole town of Healdsburg well knew of 
the affair, which occurred in the very place where this 
is written; and there were over twenty persons in the 
room when the would-be murderer commenced shooting. 
I lay for three months with my hand-wound, and some 
portion of the time in a critical condition; but at last it 
healed, and I again continued my practice. 

About a year after the death of my wife, I found it 
necessary to again marry, as raising a family of small 
children alone was anything but pleasant. Hence, on 
the 14th of January, 1872, I married the daughter of 



434 Life and Adventures of 

J. E. Turner, of Sacramento, who has proved an excel- 
lent mother to my children, which is the kindest thing 
that can be said of a step-mother. We have lived 
together for fifteen years, and hope to live together 
many more. 

CHAPTER LIV. 

POLITICAL. 

AS I have, in this volume, made no reference to my 
political creed, and as such a work would be incom- 
plete without some allusion to that feature of my career, 
I here reproduce a short letter which has heretofore 
been published. This letter will not only explain itself, 
but will suffice to indicate my political predilections in 
a general way. 

Healdsburg, Cal., June 27, 1868. 

Hon. John Bush, Placerville, Cal. — Dear Sir: When 
last in Placerville I promised to give you a letter ex- 
plaining what you saw fit to denominate my "unreason- 
able course, politically," and in so doing I shall endeavor 
to be as brief as possible, and after a perusal of the 
statement of facts you will please inform me who has 
changed ? 

To begin: As an American I am proud of my country, 
and love its many glorious institutions; and hope that 
my highest ambition always shall be, as it always has 
been, to add to rather than diminish her honor and glory. 

At the Presidential election in i860, as a Democrat, 
I supported that party. At the Charleston convention 
a portion split off from the party and organized what 
was known as the Baltimore convention. The Charles- 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 435 



ton convention nominated Stephen A. Douglas, who 
was a national man and a patriot ; the Baltimore con- 
vention nominated a sectional ticket, and the Republi- 
cans did the same, and, as a national Democrat, I sup- 
ported the regular nominee of the Democratic party. 
You know the result. Rebellion ensued, and I was found 
sustaining my country's flag—JListifying any course that 
was found most expedient to crush treason and restore 
peace to the country. Of such a struggle as we passed 
through, the annals of history give no parallel ; but like 
all other earthly things, it came to a close. During its 
existence the friends of the States in rebellion, as well 
as the rebels in arms, constantly proclaimed that they 
were "out of the Union," and all that they wanted was 
"to be let alone;" while on the other hand, Union men 
held that the rebellious States were not out of the Union, 
neither could they get out— that the federal compact 
could not be dissolved. This doctrine was advocated 
alike by the chief magistrate, Congress, statesmen, 
judges, clergy, and down to the soldier in arms. The 
muMered Lincoln, through Secretary Seward, in reply 
to the French Emperor, when the French proposed 
intervention, used this language: "No intervention is nec- 
essary ; a portion of the States of this Union is in a state 
of rebellion against the legally constituted Government, 
and all that is necessary to a peace is for them to lay 
down their arms and return their delegations to Con- 
gress, when this war will cease of itself" 

On the 8th of November, 1863, President Lincoln is- 
sued his proclamation, offering to send any seceded State 
a provisional governor when that State would make the 
request known by one-tenth of the votes, taking the 



486 Life and Adventures of 

vote of 1 86 1 as a basis. This Congress tacitly or posi- 
tively recognized — continuing from time to time to 
ratify the acts of Lincoln — and while this proclamation 
was in full force, and supported by the 4th Article of 
the Constitution of the United States, on an applica- 
tion of North Carolina, she having complied with the 
requisitions of the proclamation, Wm. Holden was 
appointed provisional governor of that State. W. L. 
Sharky was appointed provisional governor of Missis- 
sippi; June 17th, James Johnson was appointed gov- 
ernor of Georgia; June i/Lh, Andrew J. Hamilton 
was appointed governor of Texas; June 21st, Lewis E. 
Parsons was appointed for Alabama; June 30th, Benj. 
F. Perry was appointed for South Carolina; and July 
1 3th of the same year, Wm. Marvin was appointed provis- 
ional governor of Florida. In all those States there 
was a thorough organization, in every instance compli- 
ance with the letter of the proclamation by declaring 
void the ordinance of secession, repudiating the Confed- 
erate debt, and adopting the constitutional amendment 
declaring slavery and involuntary servitude forever abol- 
ished, unless for crimes of which the party shall have 
been duly convicted. This mode of reconstruction was 
offered and accepted, and acted upon in good faith. 

The South at this time was disarmed and powerless, 
while the conquerors possessed all the vast aimament 
of the great American nation ; hence no fear of treachery 
could reasonably be suspected, and hence the country 
had a right to rejoice in the happy termination of the 
fratricidal war, and a restoration of peace ctnd tranquillity 
to our bleeding nation. Under this new organization 
the representatives of these reconstructed State gov- 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 437 

ernments were sent to Congress, but failed to gain 
admittance to seats in that body. TTie first excuse was 
"disloyalty;" soon, however, that was wiped out by the 
election of men who bore the scars of many a well-con- 
tested field against the rebels, but to the surprise of all 
fair-thinking men they, too, were rejected; and when 
our Congress was pressed for a reason, they proclaimed 
that these States, formerly in rebellion, were all out of 
the Union, and consequently not entitled to representa- 
tion. Thus they gave the lie to our former declarations 
"that the South was not out of the Union, and could 
not get out,' thereby stultifying themselves, and asking 
every Union man to turn a political somersault At 
this juncture, people less cool than Americans would 
have hurled such men from the high positions which 
they were daily disgracing, when a still worse state of 
anarchy would have ensued. 

But, thank God, the people still forbore, and the 
horrid impositions of that body calling itself a Congress 
of the United States have continued. They have reck- 
lessly trampled the constitution under their feet at every 
turn. They have sent the bayonet in times of peace 
into the Southern States — overturned State governments 
in violation of the constitution (and these the govern- 
ments they themselves had once recognized by the votes 
on the amendment to the constitution of the United 
States, and the only means by which that amendment 
carried), and have, for political purposes alone, disfran- 
chised a large portion of the white, law-abiding voters, and 
enfranchised an ignorant, savage and lawless herd of 
blacks. By the aid of the Freedmen's Bureau they have 
placed thousands of emissaries in these ill-fated States to 



438 . Life and Adventures of 

encourage the blacks in the most diaboUcal deeds of rapine 
and murder. This'same Conoress, to aid them without 
resistance to carry out their fraudulent and damnable 
designs, has attempted to cripple and control by uncon- 
stitutional acts and threats the co-ordinate departments 
of Gover'nment. They have threatened to impeach the 
Supreme Court for daring to act in its judicial capacity 
in declaring unconstitutional some of their measures. 
They attempted to impeach the President for no other 
offense than a firm opposition to their reckless and law- 
less course, — for being firm in his defense of constitu- 
tional government. They have legislated upon the 
local matters of sovereign States, in d rect violation of 
the constitution. So reckless are they of former usages 
and the constitution adopted by our fathers, that they 
have absolutely attempted to abolish the office of Presi- 
dent. In a word, they have in the most enlarged sense 
proved themselves traitors to our present institutions, 
and enemies to a republican form of government. 

Now, my dear friend, you will do me the justice to 
admit that I denounced Jefferson Davis and his horde as 
rebels, and \\ ished them punished as traitors for rebell- 
ing against the laws of the United States, though this 
rebellion was conducted by open enemies and brave men; 
then why should you think it inconsistent that I should 
oppose rebels and traitors to the institutions of our 
fathers, wh > have not manhood enough to decide their 
fate by the wager of battle, but who are fast accom- 
plishing by fraud and evil legislation, what the former 
rebels failed to do by force of arms. 

I can readily understand why you think me inconsistent; 
it is owing to your standpoint, and the reflection of a 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 439 

local glass. But when you change your position, and 
climb to the dome of the Temple of Freedom, take 
your stand between the goddess of liberty and justice, 
and then look through the national telescope of truth 
by the light of reason, aided by the reflection of the 
constitution, I believe you will not only discern that you 
are the one that is unreasonable, but will break your local 
glass and hasten to join me in preserving our country 
against a reign of tyranny and misrule, and that we may 
be permitted for many years to present our offerings 
together on the altar of constitutional liberty, with no 
broken fragments, but the whole United States of 
America. Till then, I have the honor to be 

Your sincere friend, and obedient servant, 

L. A. Norton. 



CHAPTER LV. 

COMPLIMENTARY. 

Philadelphia, Pa., 1200 Locust Street, July 26, 1880. 

L, A. Norton, Esq. — Dear Sir: Your favor of the 26th ult. is duly- 
received. I regret that among our losses by fire were your letters and 
many others. I very well remember our meeting at Vera Cruz, and our 
first meeting at the hacienda of Santa Anna at En Cerro. Your conduct 
at that time and your subsequent actions met my entire approval. And 
if I were going to the battle-field to-morrow I would be glad to have the 
Illinois volunteers under me, and you as commanding ofiicer. 

I am, dear sir, with great respect, sincerely yours, 

R. Patterson. 

THE above brief letter would be incomplete without 
some explanation. Our command, several thou- 
sand strong, was encamped on the bank of a lovely little 
stream which takes its rise in the Orizaba Mountains, 
rushing from the mountains in a tumbling and tumult- 



440 Life and Adventures of 

uous torrent, then flowing placidly through the valley for 
several miles, when it comes to an abrupt depression in 
the valley and takes a perpendicular leap of one hun- 
dred and fifty feet. Our camp was some two or three 
miles above this fall. We were a portion of General 
Patterson's division, and his head-quarters were at Santa 
Anna's hacienda, about a mile from our camp. The 
imagination cannot picture a more lovely place. We 
were waiting for the rest of the command to come up, 
of which Colonel Winecoop, of Pennsylvania, was in 
charge. Our extra stock was placed about twelve miles 
down the river, on a rich bottom, for grazing, with a 
small detachment (I believe about seventy-five in 
number) to guard them. It being well known that the 
treaty of peace had been signed and ratified, it was 
thought there was little or no danger from the Mexicans. 
Now it so happened that we needed some commissary 
supplies, much of which had to be procured from the 
country through which we passed, and in many instances 
by forced purchase. That is, we would take what we 
wanted and leave the owners a fair compensation in 
coin. I had detailed a force of about one hundred and 
fifty men and quite a wagon train, to go down the river 
in quest of rations. I had proceeded about eight miles, 
having left the direct line of the river and main valley, 
and was some two miles east of it, aniong some low, 
rolling hills and small valleys, when my advance 
reported horsemen and lancers in our front. My force 
were all mounted men. I halted immediately and sent 
out a small scouting party, under cover of a brushy 
hill. As the enemy evidently had not yet discovered 
us, we had but little difficulty in getting their course- 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 441 

They were traveling at right angles to us, down a narrow 
valley, and' directly towards our stock encampment. 

My scouts reported the party to be a battalion of 
lancers, from two hundred and fifty to three hundred 
strong. Their object was quite evident to me, and if I 
was to save our men and stock I must act promptly. 
I left ten men to guard the wagons and put the rest of 
the command in rapid motion, keeping behind the low 
hills; and when we broke upon the Mexicans over the 
brow of the hill, we were not five hundred feet from 
them. We charged for the center, dashed through, and, 
wheeling to the right and left, rolled their two flanks up 
like a scroll. They stood the shock for a moment, and 
ordered their fire with more coolness than I had expected; 
but they could not stand our carbine and holster fire, 
and broke and scattered in all directions. They left 
twenty-three upon the ground, seven dead and sixteen 
badly wounded — seven fatally. We had three killed 
and seven wounded, most of them slightly, and I lost 
my favorite horse. After the fight I ordered up the 
wasfons, we loaded our dead and wounded, and the 
wounded Mexicans, into them, returned to camp, and 
reported to Colonel Collins (who was no friend of mine). 

The affair caused a great commotion in camp. Colonel 
Collins ordered me under arrest for acts of war in time 
of peace, and I demanded to be taken before the com- 
manding-general (Patterson). On inquiry, among the 
wounded Mexicans was found a lieutenant, who ac- 
knowledged that they had arranged to attack the camp 
and capture the stock. After a full hearing, the general 
dismissed the charge, highly complimented me, and said 
he wished they had more like me. And this is what 
29 



442 Life and Adventures of 

the old general meant when he said in the foregoing- 
letter, " Your conduct at that time and your subsequent 
actions met my entire approval." 



CHAPTER LVI. 

A SEA VOYAGE TO SANTA BARBARA. 

IN a previous chapter I have incidentally referred to a 
homeward trip from Los Angeles, through the San 
Joaquin Valley, by rail. In this I will give a short 
sketch of my journey thither, down the coast. 

I left Alameda, November 25, 1883, and took passage 
on the steamer y^^^r(9;/, which sailed at nine o'clock in the 
morning, with a sharp wind from the northwest. Con- 
trary to our expectations, as we passed through the 
Golden Gate the water was without a ripple, but when 
fairly at sea, the wind being N. N. W., the vessel was 
thrown into the trough of a long and heavy swell. Ere- 
long I saw the most vivacious and happy faces blanch, 
while a general movement on deck led me to conclude 
that all the passengers excepting myself had near and 
dear acquaintances on board; for I saw ladies and gen- 
tlemen rushing into each other's arms. Still I noticed 
that the embraces bestowed had nothing of tenderness 
or affection, since they generally fled from the embrace 
of the first to the next they met. I noticed, too, that 
youth and age embraced each other alike as lovers, 
while I remained a melancholy spectator of the scene, 
burning tears fast running down my face because no 
one addressed me. On reflection, I was consoled by 
the discovery that I was on the windward side; hence 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 443 

no one could conveniently rush to my arms, and those 
burning tears were caused by the spray that struck 
the side of the ship, giving me a liberal contribution. 
My first thought was to avoid this contribution by 
passing to the lee; but I soon discovered that on that 
side there was great business activity; men, women, and 
children were "casting up their accounts." While all 
seemed anxious for a settlement, they did not seem to 
succeed, as I saw them return to their state-rooms, singly 
and in pairs, with infinite disgust depicted on their coun- 
tenances. It was remarkable that their efforts seemed to 
destroy their appetite for dinner, the representatives at ta- 
ble being few in number. The captain, a young and good- 
looking fellow, seeming very wise and independent, sat 
at the head of the table, with his roast beef, carving- 
knife and fork, the dispenser of culinary blessing, but, 
withal, somewhat disconsolate, since all his " pullets " 
had "gone to roost," and only us poor devils, who were 
" placed before the mast," to serve. Of course I pitied 
him, and I would not have waited for a second invitation 
to take a seat next to him; but, unfortunately for him, I 
did not get a first 

The night was rough, but the morning was smooth 
and fair. The wind and waves had subsided and as 
general settlements seemed to have been obtained, all 
went " merry as a marriage bell." Of course we kept 
near the coast, which was rough and generally precip- 
itous, while the valleys along the coast lay back of a 
bluff range, with small outlets to the shore. I found my 
notions of the bay and town of Monterey far from cor- 
rect. The bay makes a deep, horseshoe-like indenta- 
tion into the land. The town, instead of being at the 



444 LiP^E AND Adventures of 

toe of the shoe, is at the heel; and, to take the coast 
^^oing down, it is three times as far by land as it is to 
sail across by water, from one heel of the shoe to the 
other. 

From San Francisco to point Concepcion, our course 
is nearly south; at that point we turn directly east, and 
on that course we reach Santa Barbara, at which place 
we found ourselves on the second day out at eight o'clock 
in the evening. Before speaking of this place, I must 
refer to a very strange phenomenon which occurred at 
sunset, before our arrival. As thousands have hereto- 
fore written of the lovely sunsets at sea, the subject 
having been handled by wit, genius, and ability, in colors 
more than the sun itself ever presented, I shall not, at 
this late day, enter the arena and compete for the prize. 
And though it is of a sunset at sea that I speak, it is 
not the bare sight of seeing it lave its brilliant disk in 
the briny wave. 

I heard an exclamation from one of the passengers: 
" Oh ! look at the sun." I turned my eyes to the west, 
where a huge, bright golden block presented itself. It 
was perfectly square, and seemed to be about three feet 
across, and not more than ten minutes above the water. 
As I was w^atching and marveling at the strange appear- 
ance of the scene, the base of the perpendicular seemed 
stationary, while the upper portion commenced sinking 
until it presented the appearance of a large cheese, with 
the edge towards us. The lower portion or base then 
began to sink, while the upper portion appeared station- 
ary till it formed the most perfect picture of a mam- 
moth wash-bowl, with its broad top and graceful curving 
in and usual swell of the bowl, while there was the usual 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 445 

and perfect flange around the bottom of the bowl, 
which seemed to sit upon the water. It now commenced 
elongating until it set in a long and fiery glow upon the 
water. But this was not the last of it; for as the dark- 
ness gathered in the east, and in that direction all was 
somber night, a soft pink tinge illuminated the western 
sky, casting a soft, delicate light upon the shimmering 
ripple of the ocean, which changed and flashed as if 
beneath the rays of a noonday sun. In fact, the west 
was so lit up that you could look in that direction until 
the sea and sky united in the distance. The phenome- 
non of the western light continued after our arrival at 
Santa Barbara, throwing a lovely light purple glow 
over the mountains surrounding the town. 

As before stated, the coast at Santa Barbara runs 
nearly cast and west. The town is situated upon a 
channel which separates the mainland from the four 
islands that lie immediately north of the place some 
twenty miles distant. These islands seem to form 
almost a continuous belt, running nearly parallel with 
the mainland, thus breaking, in a great degree, the fury 
of southern storms. The town spreads out over the 
mouth of the valley, where it reaches the ocean, extend- 
ing up the valley about two miles. I should think the 
ground rises, from the ocean to the upper end of the 
town, about one hundred feet. The town is a good deal 
scattered, covering an area usually occupied by a city 
of 10,000 inhabitants, while it had at that time less than 
5,000. What is peculiar is that the valley is not sit- 
uated on any stream emptying into the ocean, and the 
town is watered from Mission Canon, the only water 
upon which the inhabitants rely for fire or domestic uses; 



446 Life and Adventures of 

but the supply seems plentiful. With the gradual rise 
from and slope to the ocean, and bathed by the first 
rays of the rising sun as he comes forth from his watery 
bed, and in close proximity, are the sloping foot-hills, 
with their grazing herds; and then, abruptly rising, is the 
rough and rugged Coast Range, giving a great variety 
of scenery. Here the millionaire may smoke his cigar 
on the veranda of the Arlington and drink in with 
pleasure the grand and varying prospect, while the poor 
invalid, who can illy spare the means to try the experi- 
ment of life or death, can first turn his eyes upon the 
ocean and cast forth his anchor of hope; or, if despair 
seizes upon him, he can from his chamber turn his eyes 
toward the old cathedral, with its Moorish towers, which 
seem to invite him to a comfortable last resting-place. 

Yes, Santa Barbara is a pretty place; but she is a 
parasite, not living upon any innate resources of her 
own, but upon foreign substance. It will ever be the 
stopping-place of the invalid and the temporary home 
of the pleasure-seeker, while the denizens of the town 
will take good care that sojourners pay for all they get. 
But, on the whole, I think that in case one wants a holi- 
day, there is no lovelier place to take it than in Santa 
Barbara. As to the inhabitants, they are about one- 
third native Californians, wholly strangers to energy or 
progress, still living as their fathers lived sixty years 
ago. The Arlington Hotel is the finest and, in my 
opinion, the best kept of any on the coast. 

The valley in which Santa Barbara is situated is small, 
not more than eighteen miles long, with an average 
breadth of from two to two and one-fourth miles. I drove 
out to the place of my old friend Sherman Stowe, tak- 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 447 

ing- lunch with him; then to Colonel Hollister's, and 
then through the Cooper Ranch, thus taking in the entire 
length of the valley. Stowe, Hollister, Cooper, and 
Moore own the principal portion of the valley, and they 
all have lovely places, mostly fruit farms. Mr. Cooper's 
place is the most extensive. I believe he has 15,000 
almond, 15,000 walnut, and 5,000 olive trees in full bear- 
ing, all protected by gum-tree wind-breaks. It is said 
that he makes the finest and purest olive oil in the world, 
and he puts it all in labeled bottles to avoid imposition. 
This is really a fruit valley. They can raise small grain 
and corn, in a word, all cereals; but the fruit interest 
largely predominates, and the great misfortune of the 
valhy is that the land holdings are entirely too large for 
the area of country capable of culture. 

I remained in Santa Barbara four days, leaving on 
December ist for Santa Monica, and thence by rail to 
Los Angeles, returning home by the Southern Pacific 
Railroad route. 



POKMS 



BY COLONEL L. A. NORTON. 



TO MISS MINNIE MOLLOY, SANTA ROSA. 

1AM thinking of thee, dear Minnie, 
I am thinking of thee now, 
While thou art gently sleeping, 

With a calm and cloudless brow; 
For 'tis noon of night, dear Minnie, 

And the fleecy clouds do fly, 
Shown by the moon's uncertain light. 

Like some giant of the sky. 
With just enough of borrowed light 

Sweetly resting on the plain, 
To change each shadow to a sprite 

To people this earth again. 
Among these sylphs I seem to see 

Little Minnie, bright and fair, 
With her large and lustrous eyes, 

And her light-brown braids of hair. 
Full well I know 'tis fancy all, 

Yet is it not sweet to feel 
That fancy can somewhat supply 

What we so much wish was real ? 
So sleep, dear Minnie, gently sleep. 

With no shade upon thy brow. 
There is one sentinel on his beat 
Who is thinking of thee now. 



450 Life and Adventures of 

to my wife. 

I AM thinking of thee, dear Emma, 

Alone thinking of thee; 
While you in your home are waiting, 

And are watching for me. 

You will claim it was a weakness, 
That I should never know; 

But, my dear, it is a weakness 
I am proud to have you show. 

You are never demonstrative, 
Or at least so you would seem, 

But all through your seeming coldness, 
I see affections gleam. 

So now, down life's path together, 
We hand in hand will roam, 

Until time and age shall call us 
To dark oblivion's home. 

But until we rest together, 
We'll make the best of life, 

Though I make a rough old husband, 
You are a loving wife. 



TO MARY. 

Mary, I am now alone; 
The midnight hour has long since flown, 
Yet visions haunt my sleepless mind, 
In search of what I cannot find. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 451 

Oh, vain the search; the efforts vain; 

The prize I seek, I cannot, gain; 

For that I've sacrificed my rest, 

And ch'mbed the rugged mountain's breast. 

I've stemmed the stream where torrents roll, 
A terror to the bravest soul; 
Panuca's course I've traced alone, 
Where cities were long since o'ergrown 

With a dense growth of chaparral. 
Without a tongue their fate to tell; 
Where panthers crouch and tigers growl ; 
Where leopards hide and lions howl; 

Tarantulas, whose fatal sting 
On man and beast destruction bring — 
I've faced death in a thousand forms, 
Mid battle's glare and frightful storms. 

I've floated on the ocean's wave 
When every surge my breast would lave; 
From strLnded ship I've sought the land 
Where earthquakes shook the very sand. 

rom battle-field I bear the scars 
Those dealt me by the sons of Mars, 
And all for what? Why did I roam ? 
To trace each clime, why leave my home ? 

For happiness! but ah; to me 
How transient must that name e'er be; 
While hopeless here I journey on, 
I feel, I know, I am alone. 



452 Life and Adventures of 

Who see me smile can never know 
The yet unfathomed depths of woe, 
The anguish of this bitter strife 
That rends my soul and poisons life. 

For happier lots that have been cast, 
They cannot feel the withering- blast 
That breaks my heart, that kills my frame, 
And makes me loathe my very name! 

But would to God my heart were steel, 
To oppose the bitter pangs I feel, 
And check the sigh that e'en would start 
The very cords that bind my heart. 

To one on earth the power is given 
To make this hell eternal heaven; 
If she would now but smile on me. 
And bid me henceforth happy be! 



RESPECTFULLY ADDRESSED TO ONE OF THE AMERI- 
CAN OFFICERS IN MEXICO. 

"This Northern girl, I fear her not, 
Though brave and fair thou art; 
My shadow stands 'as sentinel 
To my loved captain's heart. 

"That guarded palace m^cks thy siege. 
Its gates thou canst not win; 
Go sighing round his home at night. 
But dare not enter in ! 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 453 

"He told me you were beautiful, 
But I am well content; 
My form alone has charms for him, — 
He swore it when he went. 

"Let welcome, in its softest tones. 
Its dearest secret tell, 
Such welcome e'en cannot efface 
The sound of my farewell." 

Thus spoke Amelia, sitting lone 

On Mexico's wild shore; 
The foaming waves of that wide gulf 

Her dark eye traveled o'er. 

She spoke it with a steadfast trust — 

Oh ! trust that vain must prove; 
She spoke it with the curling lip 

Of proud, triumphant love. 

Poor girl ! at that same sunset hour, 

In the distant Northern land. 
The captain knelt and pressed his lips 

On a white, bejeweled hand. 

Then clasped the lady in his arms — 

His vows of yore forgot; 
His heart withdrew itself from hers. 

But Amelia knew it not. 



454 Life and Adventures of 

to my truest and best friend. 

How sweet it is for us to know 

That there are hearts that burn 
With love for us, where'er we go, 

And sigh for our return. 
Then, though the world is cold and drear, 

And gives the bosom pain, 
We've but to turn to scenes more dear, 

And all is bright again. 

But sad must be the home of those 

Condemned to live alone, 
With none to cheer amid life's woes, 

And none to call their own. 
No season sweet of joy doth come 

To shed its fragrance there; 
No sunshine to disperse the gloom 

That broods a dark despair. 

The heart can ne'er be truly blest 

Unless it can recline 
On some congenial, faithful breast, 

Where love's sweet tendrils twine. 
Then we can brook life's many ills. 

Its sorrow and its woe, 
For love its soothing balm distils 

To cheer us while below. 



TO A. C. BARRY, ESQ. 

Adieu, dearest friend! I must bid you adieu. 
I cannot, I will not, ask you longer to stay. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 455 

Remember there's one friend that ever is true, 
And his heart is with you, wherever you stray. 

With steps fast receding, when thy native shore, 

Like some longed-for haven, shall burst on thy view, 

When thy heart it shall throb like the cataract's roar, 
To again greet thy friends that are constant and true, 

Where beauty will smile and where maidens will love. 
Where a fond mother will greet her wandering boy, 

Where sounds that are soft as the coo-cooing dove 
Will start tears of regret that will dampen the joy, 

Thy heart will then heave for a friend that's not there, 
With a pang that no vulgar affection can feel*; 

A friend that thy weal or thy woe would fain share. 
And a friend that loves thee with woman-like zeal. 

Though barren and cold is the world without thee, 
I can ask thee, in justice, no longer to stay. 

But with thee, my friend, my heart ever shall be. 
To blend with thy visions by night or by day. 

May blessings of Deity rest on thy head. 

To shield thee from sickness,harm, death, and the grave. 
May Heaven combine to strengthen life's thread, 

To shield thee, dear friend, from the merciless wave. 



BLACK EYES. 



Some worship a brow that is ever serene, 

Like the lifeless sky of a painted scene, 

Where the sunshine sleeps and the clouds are still, 

Just as calmly as gushes the mountain rill. 



456 Life and Adventures of 

There are hearts that can worship the soft, pale dye, 

And passionless hue of a tame, blue eye; 

But such eyes to me are too patient, too true; 

I love not their sleepy, inanimate hue. 

But give me the glance with the soul in its rays, 

An eye that can flash, and a brow that can blaze. 

For one, my dear girl, is the still, smooth lake, 

That no winds can ruffle and no storms can shake; 

The other, the foam of the cataract's dash, 

The darker the water, the brighter the flash. 



TQ THE ONE FOR WHOM IT WAS INTENDED. 

Some are charmed with the view and passionate hue 

Of a dark and rolling eye, 
But mine is the charm, without fear or alarm, . 

Where all is calm as a summer sky. 

As deep as the sea, let that eye be to me, 

Then I know the affection is true; 
I can read in that face, displeasure or grace. 

When lit up by an eye of blue. 

If you wish to disclose your sorrows or woes 

To friends that are constant and true, 
Take the clear open brow, requesting no vow, 

That's lit up with an eye of blue. 

And if sympathy's tear should ever appear, 
You'll then take my statement as true; 

Nines times out of ten, be it ladies or men, 
'Twill be found in an eye of blue. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 457 

Yet 'tis not the eye that can whimper or cry, 

When danger approaches in view, 
But as firm as the arch, sustaining time's march. 

The eye of unfaltering blue. 

An eye that is blue, a heart that is true. 
Shall hence be the drift of my dream; 

And a lady most fair with lightish brown hair. 
In song shall henceforth be my theme. 



LINES TO MRS. ELIZABETH HALE. 

This rose to me is passing fair, 
Fresh from the donor's hand; 

Its fragrance floats as rich and rare 
As any in the land. 

Upon the plain, the rose we hail, 
The daisies on the mount, 

We pluck the lily from the vale, 
The cresses from the fount. 

The glory of the morning fair, 
. First hails us when we wake, 
We're greeted by the violets rare, 
As morning walks we take. 

And thus we find our path is spread 
With sweetness and perfume, 

And odors of the flowerets shed 
Throughout the month of June. 
30 



458 Life and Adventures of 

But when they fade, the withered stalk 

Is shaken by each blast, 
Each time enfeebled by the shock, 

In winter sinks at last. 

An emblem this of man's sad fate, 

A floweret here below; 
In spring he blooms with joy elate, 

And sinks in winter's snow. 

The rose that blooms upon his cheek 

Will wither and decay, 
When the fond pleasures that we seek 

By magic fade away. 

It bends the stalk in silent gloom, 
All withered by the blast, 

And, like the flower, cut down at noon, 
At evening's shade 'tis passed. 

Unlike the rose, there's some below 
When earthly beauties fade, 

Sweeter perfumes around them throw, 
Approaching evening shade. 

And when the stalk is bleak and bare, 

Shook by winter of age, 
A bright halo will hover there, 

That mocks to us the sage. 

The word, with magic in its charms, 
That bids the soul aspire. 

Snatches a brand from nature's arms, 
To light the poet's fire. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 459 

MIDNIGHT AND THE GRAVE. 

The lover's lute is hushed and still, 
The moon has sought the western hill, 
The breeze now holds its balmy breath, 
All silent as the cells of death. 
The nightingale, whose ceaseless note 
Would seem to rend his tiny throat, 
Now for a moment's hushed and still; 
You scarce can hear the murmuring rill. 
The dewdrop on the violet's brow 
Would seem devoutly waiting now, 
As if its fall upon the ground 
Might break the silence thus profound; 
Where midnight, with dark pinions spread 
Her gloom o'er living and o'er dead — 
A gloom that all erelong must feel. 
Humanity's eternal seal; 
Where innocence in silence sleeps, 
Where guilt no more its vigils keeps, 
Where toil and strife will be at rest. 
Where peace will calm the troubled breast. 
And where the high and low shall be 
Forever on equality. 

There glitt'ring wealth and boasted fame 
Shall, cank'ring, lose their worthless name, 
By mouldering time beneath the sod. 
And all true merit go to God. 



On my return from Mexico at the close of the war, 
our command was mustered out of service at Alton, 
Illinois; but I was compelled to remain there a few days 



460 Life and Adventures of 

to settle up some commissary and quartermaster claims. 
One day I was riding out with some ladies, when Miss 
Jane Young Harrison threw a rose of Sharon at me. I 
picked up the flower and jestingly said, " I will return 
this at the end of ten years," at the same time deposit- 
ing the rose in my bosom, and thinking no more of it 
at the time; but when retiring at night, on divesting my- 
self of my vest, the rose dropped to the floor. I picked 
it up and threw it between the leaves of one of my 
quartermaster account books, again forgetting all about 
it for seven months, when one day, in turning over 
the book, I discovered the flower pressed between the 
leaves. I then concluded to keep my promise, and in- 
closed one little petal with the following lines: — 

One single leaf I send to thee, 

Of what in jest you threw at me. 

But when ten years have passed and flown, 

I'll then return to thee thy own. 

My life for the ensuing ten years was adventurous and 
somewhat roving; but I retained the flower, and the 
expiration of the time found me in California, whence I 
returned it with the following lines: — 

Here is thy flower, though rudely pressed 
'Tis as I clasped it to my breast. 
And, like some sentinel at his post, 
For ten long years I've guarded close 
This little talisman of thine. 
That I would fain have claimed as mine. 
But would not Vantage by my wrongs — 
To thee and thine the pledge belongs; 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 461 



And when I raised it from the dust, 
I only held the flow'r in trust. 

But oh ! how faded is the flower, 
Compared with what it was that hour 
When I received it at thy hand, 
And bore it to this distant land. 
Yet not more faded than the one 
That bore it from its native home; 
For each the burning deserts passed, 
And each has felt the mountain's blast; 
Together bound and ever one, 
We both have felt a tropic sun; 
Together we have sallied forth 
To frozen regions of the North; 
Together in the forest wild, 
Where civil life had never smiled. 
We've rested from our toil and care — 
Our sentinel the grizzly bear. 

Thus, guarding it as my own life, 
I've borne it through this world of strife 
Until, at last, the hour has come 
To send the little traveler home. 
And when its pallid form you view, 
Remember that my words were true. 
Although the pledge in jest was given 
Its place of register was Heaven, 

And now one boon I ask alone, 

That this you'll guard as I have done; 

And when you view its petals fair, 

For its poor guardian breathe one prayer. 

This from your friend and servant true. 

So, lady fair, a long adieu. 



462 Life and Adventures of 

the sylphide. 

All hail to thee, sylphide, fair queen of the mountain; 

Let angels thy dew-gleaming footsteps sustain, 
Whose impress a shadow ne'er made on the fountain, 

Whose footfall no imprint e'er left on the plain. 

Seraphic in form, and surpassing in beauty. 
Her sex are all pigmies in honor and worth, 

So constant in love, in affection and duty. 

Earth never before to such graces gave birth. 

But why so dejected, my day-star of glory? 

Oh! why art thou doomed thus to sigh when alone. 
While pensively gazing on mountain-tops hoary, 

Or lulled to repose by the rill's mellow tone? 

Have the hopes of thy youth all like angels departed 
And left thee to mourn the deep blight on thy soul? 

Has fortune thy fond expectations deserted. 

O'er which now nor beauty nor charms hold control? 

Or by destiny doomed to still deeper dejection. 
By stern, unrelenting fate's crushing decree. 

That places a barrier between thy affection 
And the one of all others the dearest to thee? 

If so, I can sympathize with thy condition. 

Although my poor heart has long since ceased to love; 

To soothe the afflicted of earth is my mission — 
A delegate sent from the high court above. 

So look upon me as a friend and a brother; 

Believe me that such I shall ever remain. 
In truth, you may say we have not the same mother, 

Yet friendship's kind impulse is warming each vein. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 463 

ODE TO THE RT. REV. J. K. BARRY. 

Waft, ye winds, some fitting strain 
From mountain crest, from hill or plain, 
His praise to sing who here has come, 
And left his family and home, 

And crossed the deep where billows roar, 

Then sought the California shore. 

Were it for gold he crossed the main 

I should not write this feeble strain. 

But how delightful 'tis to feel 
That one from love and Christian zeal 
Should cross the deep where billows roll, 
His only gain, the immortal soul. 

Now in the halls that long have rung 
To Bacchanalian's thickened tongue. 
By him, that sacred truth is taught, 
That souls by Jesus' blood were bought. 

He labors hard, he's labored long, 

And in the cause is waxing strong; 

But where are Zion's sons to aid? 

Have they not down the cold stream strayed ? 
Has not that filthy lucre, gold, 
Made many a Christian heart grow cold ? 
But bid them listen to thy call. 
And sound the trump from Zion's wall. 

And when thy limbs enfeebled grow. 
From godly labors here below. 
May peace and quiet close thy eyes. 
And angels bear thee to the skies, 



464 Life and Adventures of 

Where brighter gold than mortals coin 
Shall in thy crown of glory shine ! 
A passport, in the halls above, 
To the eternal throne of love. 



montega's adieu to the fox. 

Adieu to this valley — the sweetest on earth, 

Adieu to the ashes that first gave me birth, 

Adieu to the Fox, with her green shaded shore, 

For thy crystal waves I shall visit no more. 

Adieu to the islands that dot thy bright strand, 

Adieu to thy scenery so varied and grand. 

Though the white man may dot the country around, 

And cities may rise on my old hunting-ground. 

Where the red man sported in innocent glee, 

The breeze of the morning ne'er floated more free. 

Their day-dreams were happy, their visions were bright, 

And in their rude shelter their slumbers w'ere light; 

But where's now the odor of wild rose perfume. 

That swept o'er the plain in the bright month of June? 

Now adieu to that council hearth ruined and cold. 

Where burned the war-fire of the Fox chieftain bold. 

Adieu to the graves of our fathers who've fled, — 

We would not recall them again from the dead, 

To witness the sorrows of those that are left; 

Our kindred, our country, of all we're bereft. 

Who pities the red man ? — his rights are unknown, 

He wanders dejected — no kindred nor home. 

The white man knows naught of his sorrows nor pain. 

And the son of the forest scorns to complain; 



Colonel L. A. Norton. ' 465 

For soon I will pass o'er that river so bright, 
That I have surveyed in the visions of night, 
Where pale-faces' knives are no longer than mine. 
To fight the great battle all red men combine; 
Montega will join them, with quiver and bow, 
To the land of the spirits I'm anxious to go. 



LINES. 



Oh ! list, ye nymphs of grace divine 

Not to an idle tale, 
But list ye to this lay of mine, 

As borne thee on the gale. 

I speak to thee of beauties rare. 

Not faded yet by time. 
And beauties that you cannot share, 

Or I'd be claiming mine. 

Another claims that lovely cheek. 
Where richest crimsons flow, 

And eyes that kindness doth bespeak, 
A bosom white as snow. 

Of gentle mien, of graceful form, 
And manners much refined, 

To grace the fate for which you're born, 
So, Mary, be resigned. 

The day it came, the die was cast, 

Thy fortune it was made; 
So, mourn you not for scenes now past, 

Nor fortune yet upbraid. 



466 Life and Adventures of 

It was yourself that played the game, 
And sealed it with a smack, 

And, as you did not like your name, 
You changed it into Mack. 

So, Mary, now be kind and true 
Unto the choice you've made. 

And when these lines you come to view, 
Just think on what I've said. 

Whilst passing down life's eventide. 
We'll see the heads of flax, 

And, asking what we have espied, 
You'll say. They're little Macks. 



ON SLANDER. 



I'm seated by the babbling brook 
To read a page from nature's book, 
And trace each evil from its birth. 
That can afflict this mortal earth; 
And in their various stages trace 
Which most affects the human race. 
First in my catalogue I'll bring 
What mankind deems the greatest sin — 
He who has slain his fellow-man — 
Inhuman brute! him let us scan. 
He's taken that which God has given. 
And robb'd earth of a gift from Heav'n. 
But one received the fatal thrust ; 
But one heart mingled with the dust. 
This crime is known as mal in se, 
So mal in factum let it be. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 467 

Next jealousy, with eye of green, 
Within my catalogue is seen; 
It binds the sense, makes man a slave, 
And is more cruel than the grave. 
A family circle feels the sting, 
And yields to that despotic king. 

But last of all, and worse I claim, 

Is slander. Oh, that cruel name; 

Its poisonous breath pervades the land. 

It chills the heart, benumbs the hand ; 

Its fatal fang and poisonous breath 

Are to be dreaded more than death. 

It will its horrid form intrude 

'Mid circles gay or solitude. 

The maiden's fame lost in a day, 

Nor will it spare the matron gray; 

For which they must a by-word lay, 

From youth till resurrection day. 

The hand that would donate most free 

Is struck down by this calumny. 

I ask you one and all to tell 

Which crime is most deserving hell ? 

Leonatus. 



LINES RESPECTFULLY ADDRESSED TO 

I WISH the world to understand 
My creed is here laid down, 

And they who raise opposing hand 
Shall meet my lasting frown. 



468 Life and Adventures of 

A friend that is not my friend's friend, 

He scarcely can be mine, 
And he who would my friend offend, 

Our friendship can't combine. 

Some wish to choose for me my friends, 

Say who are fit and true; 
But this will never suit my ends, 

No; this will never do. 

Because I will not sell a friend, 

Let him be high or low; 
To whom I shall my hand extend, 

Lam the one to know. 

Perhaps a friend of worth to me 
May be of different grade, 

By other friends may seem to be 
A dead weight on me laid, 

Although that friend may still be true. 
With heart as pure as snow : 

Shall I discard him to please you ? 
I proudly answer, No. 

But when I see a want of worth, 

My confidence betrayed, 
I then rebuke the erring earth, 

Withdraw all pledges made. 



For if my dog should chance to be 
By all my friends despised, 

My dog my only friend should be— 
The rest all sacrificed. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 469 



THE WILL OF LEONATUS. 

I DIP my quill to write my will, 

As slander has me slain. 
Let this attest my last bequest 

Is made with feeble frame. 
By wish inclined, and strong in mind, 

My will I thus have planned: 
Bequeath and give to those that live 

Within this Western land. 
Good-will to all, both great and small, 

For this they surely need; 
And love I'll add — they want it bad — 

So now let me proceed. 
A patent plan I'll give to man 

For saving of his lungs — 
When scandal rolls, let honest souls 

Just halter-break their tongues. 

And here's a sword that e'er will guard 

All those who choose to wield, — 
'Tis for the youth, its name is Truth. 

To fend, you need no shield. 
For it will slay or so dismay 

Each falsehood, as it flies. 
That ere you know you've dealt a blow- 

The foe before you lies. 
A measure small I'll give to all, 

A little balance scale, 
Ju.stice its name, from whence it came, 

To tell you I shall fail. 



470 Life and Adventures of 

To be sincere, I hold it dear, 

And make a small reserve, 
But feel inclined to ease my mind 

By giving who deserve. 

There's one gem more I hold in store. 

It is so rich and rare 
I do intend to recommend 

That ladies take a share. 
You wait to see what it can be — 

Charity is the name. 
If each will share the gem to wear, 

You'll save each other's fame. 
If this small store is rightly wore 

Within the human breast, 
This bitter strife would lose its life. 

And man would find a rest. 
In witness here that I'm sincere. 

My name is written thus, 
My usual hand I still command, 

L. A. Leonatus. 



WRITTEN ON THE SUMMIT OF FITCH MOUNTAIN WHILE 
SITTING ON AN ANT-HILL. 

Little ant, come, tell me why 
Thou hast built thy home so high; 
These high cliffs why didst thou scale 
And leave the warm and pleasant vale.^ 

Has the same God that gave thee breath 
Inspired in thee the thoughts of death, 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 471 



Like man, creation's lord while here, 
And fitted for another sphere? 

Like his, doth thy ambition rise, 
To endless life beyond the skies? 
And is this mound, on which Lve trod, 
A temple of the living God? 

And didst thou choose this mountain high 
To bring thy worship near the sky? 
And didst thou tread, as Moses trod, 
With priestly step, the mount of God? 

Methinks I hear the answer, '' Yes; 
As creatures we could do no less 
Than offer from this lofty shrine 
To our Creator praise divine." 

If so, I'll heed thy warm appeal; 
I reverence and respect thy zeal. 
And peaceful leave thy busy home 
Wiser than ere I hence had come. 

In knowing that beneath my feet 
Worshiping congregations meet. 
Serving with thought sublime, as we. 
In their own way, the Deity. 



A DREAM. 



My drooping lids o'erhung by care, 
I fell asleep whilst in my chair. 
I dreamed as man has seldom dreamed. 
Was omnipresent, as it seemed. 



472 Life and Adventures of 

And backward rolled the wheels of time 
To early Asia's sunny clime. 
I stood by Moses, side by side, 
And saw the visions he espied. 

Infancy then I saw the stroke 
That in his wrath the tablets broke; 
Though vexed was he, it made me laugh 
To see poor Aaron's golden calf. 

I stood upon the Red Sea coast, 
There saw the tide sweep Egypt's host. 
I saw Alexander's archer train 
Take the rock Ardes of the plain. 

I next saw the immortal birth 
Of the Messiah come to earth ; 
I saw him, when a babe, indeed, 
He seemed the nurse's aid to need. 

Whilst in his youth I passed that way, 
Saw parchments there before him lay; 
I saw China's Confucius' name 
Inscribed upon the parchments plain. 

I read in those the source and fount 
Of Christ's great sermon on the mount; 
A doctrine taught in days of yore 
By Chinese prince long years before. 

I traced him through this lower clay, 
And watched each mesmeric display; 
I saw him manlike meet his doom, 
And godlike rise from Joseph's tomb. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 473 

I knew that I was not deceived; 
Unlike the Jews, I then believed. 
I saw his doctrines then advance 
From bloody Rome to skeptic France. 

With Bible doctrine it was hurled 
To every nation of the world, 
Where men prepar'd all to receive, 
Need only hear it to believe. 

Soon I beheld another scene, 
That changed the aspect of my dream; 
From Ishmael there sprung a light 
That even pierced Arabia's night. 

I saw a caravan depart, 
Journey'd with it to Smyrna's mart; 
I saw one sit beneath a yew 
That by the way for ages grew. 

But the old tree had quite decayed, 
Refused to man or beast its shade; 
But when great Allah sat him there, 
The tree spread forth with foliage fair. 

The prophet then the desert bless'd, 
As many Arabs will attest, 
And a hardened wretch was I 
Not*to believe in great Allah. 

But when I saw him raise his brand, 

Defeat his foes by blowing sand; 

As well as illustrations given 

Of midnight trips to seventh heaven; 

31 



474 Life and Adventures of 

And when I saw the murderous snare, 
And saw the holy prophet share 
The poisoned meat, that harmed him not, 
Though others to the grave it brought, 

A convert to his faith was I, 
And shouted for the great Allah. 
I saw him bend each tot'ring shrine, 
I saw him march to Palestine. 

Against the Turks he took the field, 
I saw Constantinople yield, — 
Where'er Mahomet stretched his hand, 
The nations fell at his command, 

And scepters they were worthless then, 
For all became good Musselmen, 
And when his frame by death was bound, 
He could not rest upon the ground. 

His coffin sought the ceiling high. 
And would have flown into the sky. 
But no attraction called it forth 
To leave behind its native earth. 

Content with man, his power to show, 
Mahomet wisely stayed below, 
And left with us his mighty shade, 
His friends to soothe and doctrines aid. 

'Twas then I saw a star arise 
Beyond the sea in western skies; 
I asked permission then to go 
See what that satellite would show. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 475 

The land I saw was far away; 

I read its name — America — 

And when I reached the distant ground, 

I heard a low, unearthly sound. 

In accents soft, but very clear, 
It came unto my startled ear, 
"The book of Mormon has been found, 
And excavated from the ground. 

" Great Joseph Smith, it is decreed, 
The only man the book shall read." 
And Joseph to his task then went, 
A prophet he, in pity sent. 

Joseph the words of Mormon told, 
From hieroglyphics wrought in gold ; 
But, oh! the wicked heart of man, 
They scoffed at Mormon and his plan. 

Joseph his sword, like Allah, drew. 
And mustered all the Mormon crew. 
Rushed forth to combat, sword in hand — 
Alas, they lacked Arabia's sand. 

And these brave, warlike Mormon sons 
Were driven out by Missourians; 
Then Illinois, that bloody State, 
To Mormon's prophet owed a hate. 

And it was in these wicked lands 

That Joseph healed with righteous hands. 

Or so his twelve apostles said — 

I, by their word, was convert made. 



476 Life and Adventures of 

But soon these wicked men conspired, 
Their minds with indignation fired, 
When they in secret laid their plan, 
Went forth and slew this holy man. 

By his death groans I was awoke; 
My very frame in terror shook ; 
I thought upon the vision past; . 
I conn'd it o'er from first to last. 

I scann'd at length our Christian views, 
I turned me back to skeptic Jews, 
I traced Mahomet from his birth, 
Throughout his wild career on earth. 

On Mormon's book I some time thought, 
And viewed the changes it had wrought, 
And asked myself, as well as you, 
Which of these creeds, if any's true. 

As they will show to men of sense. 
Their proof's internal evidence; 
That all are right, these proofs will show. 
If all are right, why differ so? 



A. DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE HEAD AND HEART, AS TO 

WHICH HAD THE STRONGER CLAIMS 

UPON THE SOUL. 

A STRANGE dispute arose one day, 
Or so I've heard old people say; 
Between the heart and head the strife, 
•The fount of reason and of life, 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 477 



As to which had the strongest claim 
Upon the soul, the heart or brain. 
The heart now vindicates his cause, 
By logic backed, and nature's laws. 

HEART. 

I claim the soul of man is thought, 
And that is by pulsation wrought; 
The blood is oxidized by me, 
And 'genders thought, as you may see. 
And in addition to this plea, 
All sacred history doth agree; 
That the heart is good or evil. 
Works for God, or for the devil. 

HEAD. 

To your first position I'll concede, 
In acquiescence to your creed, 
That the immortal mind's the soul, 
That governs and that guides the whole. 
I further grant what you maintain, 
To wit, the blood assists the brain ; 
But when you claim the heart alone 
Doth set King Reason on his throne, 
I will take issue with you there, 
And try to shew by reason fair. 
That blood is but a single spring. 
That doth the brain to action bring; 
And, by its convolutions wrought. 
The brain itself engenders thought. 
And to maintain the grounds I take, 
A small experiment I'll make: 



478 Life and Adventures of 

Detach intellect from the brain, 
And let the animal remain; 
Then let the blood as usual rush, 
With warm and animating gush, 
Through all the chambers of the brain. 
When back it will return again; 
And when it has its functions wrought, 
I ask. Will it engender thought? 
Decide that point before I go. 
The answer's now resounding. No ! 
Then in this argument you'll find 
That blood cannot engender mind. 
Regarding what the Scriptures state, 
Those records of more ancient date. 
And also wrote on the best plan 
That could reveal the truth to man; 
The heart being the seat of life, 
Man thought it, too, the seat of strife; 
And that mankind might but believe, 
Their teachers would not undeceive; 
But led them on as linguists would, 
By language that they understood. 

HEART. 

Your reasons are so wisely chose, 
I hardly know how to oppose; 
And I'll admit what you maintain. 
That the blood works upon the brain, 
As farmers work the sterile soil, 
That yields its fruit but with his toil; 
And, as experiments you've brought 
To prove that brain produces thought. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 479 

I'll offer one that will suffice 
To show where that great lever lies. 
I'll stay the blood in the left lung, 
And let the venous current run, 
Unoxidized, upon the brain, 
And there behold the creature's pain; 
Witness, yourself, his dying groan, 
And see Reason's deserted throne ! 
As in this dying state he lies, 
The blood again I'll oxidize; 
Now Reason to his seat is brought. 
And Reason only lives by thought ! 

HEAD. 

Indulging in such wanton strife, 

I'll own you might destroy life. 

By pouring a destructive flood 

Of grosser matter with the blood 

Upon the unresisting brain, 

It must create disorder, pain, 

And drive Thought from his dwelling-place, 

To seek a rest in open space. 

But by your power to inundate. 

That will not prove you can create; 

For the tornado sweeps the plain 

Without power to restore again. 

When the infuriated blast 

Assails the ship and springs the mast, 

It sinks upon the Ocean's breast, 

Its fury spent, and it must rest 

Without the power or strength to aid 

To destined port the wreck it made. 



480 Life and Adventures of 

But I'm not competent, I find, 

To argue causes for the mind; 

I'll own myself a blundering elf, 

And leave the cause with Thought himself. 

THOUGHT. 

I've listened to your pleas at length, 

Their ingenuity and strength; 

And I must say I feel some pride 

In being called on to decide. 

And I shall thus decide the strife, — 

The Heart's the sire, the Head's the wife. 

For me, 'tis plain you both have toiled; 

I own myself to be your child; 

And I am much inclined to see 

You both unite in harmony. 

But you're mistaken in your creed — 

A point on which you both agreed — 

You grant me superhuman power, 

That I can only claim as dozver. 

I feel myself but mortal earth, 

And can't inherit by my birth. 

I, by your combined power was made, 

And can't exist without your aid; 

I'm not the soul, as you have said, 

Though to the soul, perchance, I'm wed. 

This seems to be quite strange to you, 

But 'tis no stranger than 'tis true. 

Pray do not seem to be thus riled, 

For parents oft mistake their child; 

So let me introduce my guest. 

Judge Reason, for he knows the best. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 481 

REASON. 

With Thought for many years I've been, 

I'll say, e'er since the world began. 

Her power the earth will e'er control, 

But still I think she's not the soul. 

The truth it is quite plain to all, 

Souls e'er exist, or not at all; 

And if we argue on that plan, 

All brutes have souls as well as man; 

For where's the brute to action wrought, 

Unless it is by force of thought? 

Has not the beast that stores his grain. 

Some thought of winter's snow or rain ? 

Does not the bee that sips his sweet 

Lay up in store his winter's meat? 

If mind's the soul, the little bee 

Has future claims on Deity. 

But now all ask me in one breath, 

What is the soul that lives in death. 

That flies from earth to hell or Heaven, 

To meet its doom in justice given ? " 

My answer is, " 'Twill ne'er be known 

Whilst earth's encircled by a zone." 



LINES. 

[Written on seeing Capt. C. L. Wight, of the Second Regiment of 
Illinois volunteers, sleeping on the brick floor of the Guard House, 
Tampico, Mexico, after having spent the night with him as officer of the 
day.] 

Sleep on, youthful hero, in quiet reposing, 
Thy sleep it is sweet and refreshing to thee. 

Each quick beating pulse to thy watcher disclosing 
His heart that's as buoyant — his spirit as free — 



482 Life and Adventures of 

As the first morning zephyr that sweeps o'er the main, 
Or thy country's flag that is floating on high, 

Or the swift bounding deer that skips over the plain 
That ghdes from pursuit when danger is nigh. 

Yes, calm thy repose — that heart seems at rest. 
With naught but a damp, cold tile for thy pillow; 

But the fond tint of hope, it has softly impressed 
A glow on that cheek, pale though not sallow. 

Yes, he sleeps, and that in an enemy's land. 
Where many a hero has slept in his gore; 

Gallant young warrior, though born to command, 
Thou soon mayst sleep to awaken no more; 

Where no ties of affection nor angelic charms 
Shall hasten the brave, youthful hero to greet; 

No battle's loud roar, nor display of arms. 

Shall stay his advance, or shall prompt his retreat. 

Their mem'ry alone to his friends could portray 
That heart sympathetic, both gen'rous and great, 

That by war and disease had sunk to decay. 

Where courage and manhood both yielded to fate. 



THE RIO GRANDE SHORE. 

The war-cry is sounding once more in our land, 
Each brave heart is bounding to make a bold stand; 
The youth of our country in armor shine bright, 
Determined on victory, they haste to the fight. 
The cannons roar louder, each brave heart seems prouder. 
And loud shouts of vict'ry burst forth from the plain, 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 483 

The Mexicans wheeling, their broken ranks reeling, 

Though vain is the effort to rally again. 

Now some eyes are weeping, and some hearts are leap- 

Palo Alto's red field is now covered with gore, 

Where many brave heroes lie silently sleeping, 

To awake to the call of their country no more, 

Whilst the foemen now stand on the broad Rio Grande 

Their boats not sufficient to ferry them o'er; 

Their terror increasing, equipage releasing, 

They have plunged and are lost in the torrent's loud roar. 

The cry, " They are drowning," through the camp is 

now sounding; 
But our boats were removed ere the battle was o'er. 
And with faces dejected, our heroes collected 
To witness the scene from the Rio Grande shore. 
Taylor victorious, no^name more glorious 
Could cheer the brave hearts of Columbia's sons. 
Our victory complete, to our foes a defeat, 
Come, now shout it aloud with a trumpet's strong tones. 
Adieu to those heroes who sank to repose. 
Who fought their last battle, and conquered their foes, 
Who bravely in action, with the saber in hand. 
Sank to rest with the foes near the Del Norte strand. 
And to you that survive, who fought sword in hand. 
Who obeyed the first call of Columbia's land; 
Who fought for your country where the cannons loud 

roar. 
Amid sabers' bright flash on the Rio Grande shore. 
Your fame is untarnished, your honor as fair 
As the maiden's first blush, or the bright morning-star. 
On earth to reward you no power is given. 
Immortal of birth, its reward is in Heaven. 



484 Life and Adventures of 

THE patriot's DREAM. 
INTRODUCTION. 



Souls of the brave, who, passed and gone 

Beyond the praise of mortal tongue, 

No longer lead your legions on, 

Like the immortal Washington! 

No thrilling shout to freedom's son, 

To gird his glittering armor on; 

No victory now is lost or won, 

Nor battle stayed at setting sun; 

Nor no terrific cannons roar, 

To rouse the dreadful god of war. 



But would to God the trump could sound, 
For those now in oppression bound, 
And let them pass the watchword round. 
To Ca^iadas remotest bound; 
That freedom's sons might catch the tone 
All Tory faction to put down; 
While rushing on to liberty, 
Their only watchword — victory. 



The patriot then did heave a sigh, 
That's wafted by the breeze on high; 
Likewise the spirits of the slain, 
" Revenge ! " they one and all proclaim. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 485 

Arrayed before their God, they stand, 
And retribution there demand. 



And now, methinks, I do behold 

Bright swords of steel, and crowns of gold, 

Descending near with a proud crest. 

The haughty tyrants to arrest. 

I saw them, marshaled one by one, 

In single file come marching down; 

I saw their gallant leader mount, 

And well I knew the murdered LOUNT. 

Then next to him, in this bright train, 

Behold the bleeding MATHEWS came. 

5 

The next I saw was freedom's Son, 
A warlike, bold Kentuckian; 
With rifle long and steel all bared, 
For deadly conflict then prepared; 
And on his breast he wore a star. 
That marked him as a man of war; 
His step was measured, firm, and slow — 
In him I recognized MORROW ! 



And then the next I did descry 
Was William Putnam's eagle eye. 
I saw his form erect and fair, 
His dauntless look and manly air; 
I saw him marching to the field, 
With vengeance written on his shield. 



486 Life and Adventures of 



Van Schoults next came to grace the band,- 

An exiled son of Poland's land; 

Well trained to arms in days of yore — 

A military air he bore! 

And as I stood there, quite amazed, 

Upon the motley crowd I gazed; 

But soon I turned my eye again 

From the bright legions of the plain — 

When at my side and all alone, 

In armor bright, stood captain DONE. 

He waved a banner in his hand, 

An emblem of the Spartan band^ 

Who yielded not to Britain's power — 

Who scorned to flee in danger's hour. 



And then I turned to look again 

On the bright legions of the plain; 

I heard a bugle's distant peal, 

I heard the clang of hoof and steel ! 

I saw the warlike hosts did kneel; 

And their bent forms did then reveal 

Fair freedom's noblest, bravest son — 

The great, immortal Washington! 

He made a signal with his hand — 

Each chief arose at his command; 

Loud shouts burst from the sceptered crowd, 

The echo came both long and loud; 

Again the hero waved his hand, 

Again the crowd obeyed command. 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 487 



His dress was as in days of yore; 
A uniform of blue he wore, 
A plume of white his cap it bore, 
That high above the rest did soar.* 
His face was pale, though calm his eye- 
He looked around, then heaved a sigh; 
Bowed to the crowd with a caress. 
And thus commenced his last address. 



Washington. 

" Chieftains of war, in battle tried — 
Your country's care, your nation's pride! 
Who fought not for an empty name, 
Nor shed your blood for gold or fame; 
But from the rise to set of sun 
Stood as your country's champion; 
Who deepest hewed where despots stood, 
On plains Canadian shed their blood; 
Ye noble shades of earthly dust. 
Well might your country in ye trust! 
And ye have passed death's stormy waves, 
Your bodies rest in earthly graves; 
But there they will no longer feel 
Oppression's hand nor traitor's steel, 

II 

" Our country's bound in servile chains, 
And pampered despots hold the reins; 



488 Life and Adventures of 

With bitter cries our country groans — 

Her fairest daughters make their moans; 

Her noblest sons have exiles fled, 

Or rest with the forgotten dead, 

Or groan within some prison cell, 

Or in some secret cavern dwell, 

Or in a menial, servile way, 

For clemency to despots pray; 

Or start forth with a stalwart hand, 

Strike down some leader of their band. 

And then, unaided, he must fly, 

Or like a felon he must die. 

12 

"But haste! ye heroes of the past, 
At God's command, shout forth the blast; 
Call forth the dead, in battle slain, 
And let them all return again, 
To meet in field their country's foe. 
And deal to them a deathly blow, 
And hurl Great Britain from the land 
Where freedom's flag has made a stand. 

13 
' But unto me no power is given. 
From the great Judge or court of Heaven, 
Now to descend to earth again, 
On battle-fields to witness pain — 
Else with the sword I once did wield, 
Fd march with you into the field; 
And then in conflict dread to see. 
Strike for a nation's Liberty I 
But at the bar of God Fll stand 
And plead for that devoted band." 



CoLONYL L. A. Norton. 489 

H 

The heavens rang, so loud they cheered; 
I looked again, be'd disappeared; 
The bugle sounds its lofty strains, 
One living sea now spreads the plains; 
All in bright armor now arrayed, 
Marshaled for war and on parade. 
I saw their glittering armor flash, 
I saw their noble chargers dash; 
I watched them long with startling eyes, 
As fast to earth the legion flies. 

When I azuoke I was alone, 
My seat was a moss-covered stone; 
The leaves in listless silence hung. 
The night insects around me sung ; 
The sun had sought the western hill, 
Throwing its last rays on the rill, 
That murmured on in music sweet, 
And played in gambols at my feet — 
Then hurrying on in swift retreat, 
Some other listening ear to greet; 
Or the broad Foxs stream to meet. 
And roll on with that crystal sheet — 
But still my mind will oft revert 
To scenes the nearest to my heart. 

i6 

Canadian wilds! my early home, 
I think of thee whene'er alone; 

32 



490 Life and Adventures of 

An exile now compelled to roam 
In a strange land, to all unknown; 
None to extend a genial hand — 
A pilgrim in a stranger land. 

17 

The lonely crag to me endeared — 
Its mossy brown my childhood cheered. 
The rising hill, the creek, the dell, 
The ancient tree, the pond, and well, 
The field my youthful hand did till, 
The plowman's song, the clattering mill 
All these endeared this land lo me — 
, Home of my youth and infancy. 
Thy stumpy fields I fain would sow, 
The growing thistle up I'd hoe; 
Protect my corn against the crow. 
And in the depths of winter go 
To hunt the deer 'mid four feet snow. 
With all those hardships I'd comply. 
And labor until called to die, 
If but one boon could granted be. 
My country's rights, — her liberty. 

18 

But oh ! how could I longer stand, 
And see a ruthless Tory band, 
Without an order or command. 
Wide ravaging my native land. 

Age was then no guard 'gainst wrong, 
Weakness protected not the young; 
For them did beauty have no charms, 



Colonel L. A. Norton. 491 

Save while within the ruffian's arms: 
To justice bHnd, in manners base — 
A curse unto the human race! 
In parlors grand their horses eat; 
Behold their inmates in the street; 
Behold that mother far and near 
Seeks shelter for her offspring dear, 
And when successful, she at last 
Can shield them from the winter's blast; 
But driven from affluenc\'. 
To most degrading misery. 



20 



While the sire, flying from his home, 

Now in a foreign land to roam, 

With a sad and troubled mind. 

To leave his dearest ones behind: 

And rude the shelter they would find . 

'Mid tyrants who, to justice blind, 

Had robbed him of that much-loved home, 

And then compelled him far to roam. 

21 

But hark! again they come — they come, 
The bugle sounds, the rattling drum — 
Now, Spartans bold, defend your home! 
But ah, behold in prison den. 
Where lies her noblest, bravest men. 
With galling chains their limbs are bounei, 
And, closely pinioned to the ground, 
In vain for justice there they cry. 
Without a trial doomed to die. 



492 Life and Adventures of 



22 

While you rule with mighty sway, 

Now, Britain, list to what I say: 

You.'ll think of it some coming day, 

When colonies are swept away; 

And when your empire, proud and vast, 

Is blotted from the light of day. 

Some passing traveler will say, 

Here was an empire of renown, 

That ruled and wore Britannia's crown; 

But she, like other nations past. 

Is crushed by her own guilt at last." 

23 

But she sinks not to oblivion shade, 
Where fated Rome and Greece are laid ; 
But rises from her fallen state, 
With sister nations to be great. 
With tyranny no longer wed — 
No longer bow to crowned head; 
But freedom's living light now shed, 
Where tyranny in darkness fled. 
Now peace and plenty kindly smile 
Where want and misery frowned erewhile. 
How cheerful is each village clan, 
The boon from God bestowed to man; 
How happy then old England's shore, 
When despots rule her courts no more ! 



31^77-2 



